Weekly Updates

Our New Address

2010-06-17T15:02:00.006-05:00

The UMKC Provost Blog - Weekly Updates has moved!
For our most recent posts go to http://info.umkc.edu/provost/.

40 Years of Communiversity, 40 Years of Service to the Kansas City Community

2010-06-17T10:58:00.007-05:00

UMKC’s Communiversity provides non-academic, non-credit educational opportunities to our Kansas City community. With over 300 different classes in everything from art and dance to financial management and home buying, the Communiversity attracts over 7500 students per year. Communiversity boasts being the largest adult education program in the country with all volunteer teachers with classes offered for as little as $8 each.

Opportunities for free education strengthen society. When teachers and students exchange skills and ideas, these experiences feed and benefit our community. Since 1970, Communiverstiy has provided this service and it continues to grow and change in order to serve the diverse needs of today’s learners.

If you haven’t taken a Communiversity class yet, it’s a great time to take up a new hobby or brush up on something that interests you. There are still summer classes available—sign up now.

Also, don’t miss the 40th Anniversary and Communiverity Sign-up Party, on Tuesday, September 7, from 6-8 pm at the Writers Place, 6307 Pennsylvania. Free admission and snacks plus live jazz: Read more . . .

A Tour of Turkish Culture and Education

2010-06-10T08:13:00.005-05:00

A delegation from UMKC recently returned from a trip to Turkey. We were hosted by an organization in the KC area called the Turkish Raindrop House. This organization promotes understanding and cultural exchange between the U.S. and Turkey.

We spent a week visiting Turkish universities as well as sites of historical and cultural importance including the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, Cappodocia, Ephesus and more. Several Turkish families hosted us in their homes giving us the opportunity to talk at length about the life, culture and the educational system of Turkey. Our host families include longtime supporters of Turkish educational programming and institutions.

Opportunity for New Partnerships
Our delegation –which also included Provost Hackett, Dean Truman and Dean Blanchett—was deeply impressed by the evident commitment to higher education and desire to develop international citizens capable of engaging in meaningful dialogue with people throughout the world. As a result of the trip, we will engage our campus community and consider ways that we might develop academic and student exchanges and programming with Turkey.

________________
Linna Place is the Director of International Academic Programs at UMKC

Shared Services Initiative at the University of Missouri

2010-06-03T15:34:00.001-05:00

The University of Missouri has begun its Shared Services Initiative. The purpose of Shared Services is two-fold:

1. It reduces duplication of effort in administrative tasks
2. It increases the effectiveness and efficiency of administrative tasks

As an example, the University of Missouri System hosts our learning management system Blackboard on system servers, but we manage the application at UMKC. This avoids duplication of services—in this case, server management—across our system of campuses. A shared services approach also looks for opportunities to re-allocate resources; money that we would have used on campus-hosted Blackboard servers can pay for additional ILE classrooms instead.

One of our biggest opportunities at UMKC to utilize Shared Services is the partnership between academic units and IT staff for academic unit servers. The IT staff takes care of security patches and operating system upgrades on academic unit servers and the academic units’ staff manages the software. This improves the efficiency of server maintenance as well as overall security.

The concept or goal behind Shared Services is to operate more efficiently and to streamline services so that they are improved and/or more cost effective. Shared Services provides the opportunity for us to partner with other campuses to carry out University business, particularly in the area of procurement.

Shared Services also impacts finance, procurement and human resources. More on this come . . .

Read more about the Shared Services Initiative: http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/president/sharedservices/

The New Bb9: Blackboard gets a facelift, new features

2010-05-27T14:16:00.003-05:00

UMKC has upgraded to Blackboard 9. The new interface has many improved features. In fact, most of the improvements were suggested by the faculty who use Blackboard.

The latest release allows instructors to:
• customize their site through drag and drop editing, inline editing and dropdown contextual menus
• provide one grade for all members of a group or assign individual grades to each group member
• give all or specific students an additional attempt at assignments
• set up sites so that students can now belong to multiple groups, create their own groups, create a group task list and manage all group work from within one group page
• receive notification when assignments, tests and surveys have been submitted (or not) and when discussion board entries are posted
• disable system announcements within a course site
• decide which modules are displayed on course homepage and control the organization of the modules

To find out more about the new features, download the Blackboard 9 Overview Guide. To find out when you can take a Blackboard 9 Guided tour or to schedule your own workshop visit the ITS Training Opportunities website.

[A special thanks to Instructional Technologies for sharing this information.]

Kansas Students in Eleven Counties Pay the Same Rates as Missouri Students

2010-05-20T16:16:00.002-05:00

UMKC is Expanding its Metro Rate for Neighboring Counties

Beginning with the summer semester 2010, Kansas residents of Atchison, Douglas, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, Osage, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties in eligible programs will now pay the same rates as Missouri residents.

Graduate students in eligible programs will also benefit from the new metro rate. Students pursuing majors or professional programs in the School of Dentistry, School of Law, School of Medicine or the School of Pharmacy are not eligible for the Metro Rate.

The Metro Rate applies to current students and will continue to be an attractive incentive for future students.

For more information see the Metro Rate website or contact UMKC Admissions

Video and Slides from the Strategic Plan Implementation Town Halls

2010-05-06T11:24:00.011-05:00

If you missed the Town Halls last week or would like to review the presentation on the Strategic Plan Implementation, the video is now posted on the Provost’s and Strategic Plan websites. We have also added the presentation slides from the Town Halls on the Strategic Plan website.

Join the discussion!
We encourage you to share your comments and questions about the Strategic Plan Implementation by clicking on the comments link below or by using the “Suggestions” box in the column on the right.

Celebrating Commencement

2010-05-03T15:16:00.002-05:00

In May we honor and celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates. The first commencement ceremony at the University of Kansas City was held in 1936; 80 students and their guests attended the first commencement exercises. Today an estimated 2,238 students will be graduating at 12 different ceremonies.

I encourage faculty to participate in these commencement ceremonies. We all play an important role in ensuring student achievement—it is fitting that we be present to celebrate their success.

Commencement Schedule:
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Nursing
5:00 p.m. School of Nursing Commencement Ceremony (Swinney Recreation Center)
6:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. School of Nursing Pinning Ceremony (Swinney Recreation Center)

Friday, May 7, 2010 (all in Swinney Recreation)
Computing and Engineering, Arts and Sciences and Business
10 a.m.: School of Computing and Engineering
1 p.m.: College of Arts and Sciences—Mathematics through Theatre;
4 p.m. : College of Arts and Sciences— Urban Planning + Design though Liberal Studies.
7 p.m.: Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration

Saturday, May 8, 2010
Education, Conservatory, Pharmacy, Biological Sciences, Law and Dentistry
10 a.m.: School of Education (Swinney Recreation Center)
10 a.m.: Conservatory of Music and Dance (White Recital Hall)
1 p.m.: School of Pharmacy (Swinney Recreation Center)
1 p.m.: School of Biological Sciences (White Recital Hall)
4 p.m.: School of Law (Swinney Recreation Center)
7 p.m.: School of Dentistry (Swinney Recreation Center)

Friday, May 28, 2010
Medicine
4 p.m.: School of Medicine (Music Hall)

UMKC Strategic Plan Implementation - Ideas and Suggestions Needed

2010-04-22T14:26:00.003-05:00

The UMKC Strategic Plan provides a guide for all to follow as UMKC moves into its next decade as Kansas City's University. Creation of the plan involved a year of self-study by UMKC, faculty, staff, students, community members and friends, and is now at a point where the first phase of the plan’s implementation has been developed.

The implementation of the Strategic Plan will be presented at two Town Hall meetings :

• April 28, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m., Room 4307 HSB, Hospital Hill
• April 29, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m., Plaza Room, Administrative Center, Volker campus

At these meetings, the University community will have the opportunity to offer ideas and suggestions and to be involved in the next important steps in the process. We invite you to come, participate and give us your feedback.

Be a Donor

2010-04-20T15:11:00.007-05:00

Mel Tyler, UMKC Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, was diagnosed with stage 3 multiple myeloma in April 2009, and wants to increase awareness about the need for bone marrow donors. His physicians have indicated he will likely need a donor stem cell transplant in the future and at the present time there is no match for Mel in the national registry. Registry members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are especially needed. Mel was told that because he is African American, there was only about a 15% chance that he would find a match.

You can provide financial assistance or be a bone marrow donor by joining the registry or making a donation in Mel’s name. Joining the registry is as simple as getting a cheek swab to see if you may be a match. UMKC will be hosting two upcoming “cheek swab clinics”:

• Friday, April 23, 2010 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) at the UMKC School of Dentistry, Room 434, Health Sciences Campus
• Tuesday, April 27, 2010 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) in the University Center, Room 106, Volker Campus

(Please bring personal identification and contact information for two family members or friends who would know how to reach you.)

To meet registry guidelines you need:
• To be between the ages of 18 and 60
• To be in overall good health and meet medical guidelines
• Live in the US or Puerto Rico
• Not be in the US military

Learn More

University of Missouri South African Educational Program

2010-04-15T15:13:00.006-05:00

24 years ago, the University of Missouri System began a relationship with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) located just outside of Cape Town, South Africa. Although started as a school only for “colored” students during apartheid, UWC became one of the intellectual centers of the anti-apartheid movement. Almost one third of President Mandela’s initial cabinet were faculty members of UWC. Over the past 24 years there have been 437 faculty exchanges between our two schools involving over 40 academic disciplines. UWC has made remarkable progress and is now the 7th ranked university in all of Africa and 5th in South Africa in terms of rated researchers.

Every year 8-10 faculty members travel either to one of the Missouri campuses or to Cape Town to participate in this faculty exchange. Although there have been numerous teaching collaborations over the years, increasingly most of the recent grants have been given to fund research collaborations. The grants run up to $10,000 and are awarded by the University of Missouri South African Education Program(UMSAEP) committee consisting of 3 representatives from each of the UM campuses. A fuller description of the application process and reports of past grants can be found at our website. The application must be submitted to the campus international director by July 15th and awards are generally made by Sept.

We hope that you might come to a TelePresence session at the Administration Center 210 on April 22nd at 2:00 where we will explain the application process and answer any questions you might have about the UM/UWC faculty exchange program or the SA Partnership Program.

UWC has achieved excellence in a number of research areas. In particular, UWC:
• Is the only place in Africa undertaking comprehensive work on the hydrogen economy, researching the use of hydrogen instead of fossil fuels as an energy resource.
• Is the African leader in bioinformatics. The South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) is one of a small group of comparable top-level centers worldwide, and hosts Africa’s only Cray supercomputer. SANBI conducts cutting-edge research in key diseases facing Africa.
• Is a leader in biotechnology, with a special interest in the genetics of life forms that thrive in extreme conditions, and their implications for our understanding of microbial molecular ecology. UWC’s newly completed Life Sciences building is Africa’s finest.
• Holds the UNESCO Chair in Geohydrology and plays a leading role in networks across Africa in water resource research and training.
• Has the largest and most productive School of Mathematics and Science Education in Africa.
• Is home to The International Centre for Indigenous Phytotherapy Studies (TICIPS), a UWC-University of Missouri project exploring the interface between Indigenous Knowledge systems and empirical science.
• Has three World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating centers for capacity development, teaching and research in Dentistry, Pharmacology and Public Health.
• Has a Center for Humanities Research exploring humanities theory about social and cultural transformation in Southern Africa and the continent.

For more information about UWC and a description of its faculty departments, see http://www.uwc.ac.za/

The UMSAEP committee also sponsors the South Africa Partnership Program. Each year, the committee awards 3 or 4 grants a year to UM faculty members who want to engage in a research project with a South African partner or partners. If there are a multiple partners for the project, then one of them can be a faculty member at UWC.

-Rodney J. Uphoff, Elwood Thomas Missouri Endowed, Professor of Law, University of Missiouri & Director, University of Missouri South African Education Program and Linna Place, Director, International Academic Programs, UMKC

Summer or Fall Textbook Orders, Submitt by April 15th

2010-04-13T16:21:00.004-05:00

With the end of the spring semester quickly approaching, the UMKC Bookstores are asking that any outstanding summer or fall textbook order(s) be submitted by April 15th.

The success of the end of semester textbook buyback program is completely contingent on faculty submitting textbook orders on time. The textbook buyback campaign starts April 26th and runs through May 7th. During this time, the Bookstores pay our students 50% of the new textbook price on any title that is being reused by a faculty member for the summer or fall semester. These textbooks are then sold as used copies which save the students 25% or more compared to buying a new copy. If we don’t have an order submitted for a title, we can’t buy that book from our students. The early part of May is also the time that our textbook wholesalers’ inventories of used books are at their highest levels. Every day we don’t have a textbook order is another lost opportunity for us to purchase used copies for our students.

Over the past two academic years we’ve been able to save the students over $1.8 million on their textbooks because of the increase in buyback and used book sales vs. buying new textbooks.

Please help us continue to save our students the most money possible on their summer and fall course materials by submitting your textbook order(s) now.

Faculty Online Textbook Order Form

Graduate Education Week at UMKC

2010-04-08T08:41:00.006-05:00

Governor Jay Nixon has designated April 19-24, 2010 as Graduate Education Week in Missouri. UMKC will be hosting several events that celebrate excellence in graduate education:

• Saturday, April 10 – Preparing Future Faculty Seminar: “Faculty Roles Seminar”
Presenters will represent a variety of types of institutions of higher education in 201 Haag Hall.

• Friday, April 16 – Community of Scholars
The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Student Council will bring together faculty and students to celebrate a “Community of Scholars,” a culminating annual activity where the outstanding faculty member nominated by interdisciplinary Ph.D. students and selected by the IDSC governing board is announced and honored.

• Monday, April 19, 5pm to 6:30pm - School of Graduate Studies Awards Convocation
Last year, 10 types of awards were given presenting more than 50 graduate fellowships with a total value of over $700,000. Learn more about the awards.

• Wednesday, April 21 – Health Sciences Research Day

Kay Barnes, former mayor of Kansas City, will be the keynote speaker, Noon to 1:00 pm. Students and faculty of the schools of Pharmacy and Nursing will showcase their research with poster presentations from 1:00 to 4:00pm in the Health Sciences Building.

• Saturday, April 24, 9:00am to 2:00pm - UMKC Health Sciences Wellness Fair

The Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy are teaming up to deliver a variety of health screenings at the new Health Sciences Building on the UMKC campus. All services are free!

School of Graduate Studies Awards Convocation – Monday, April 19, 5pm to 6:30pm

2010-04-08T08:31:00.004-05:00

2010 will be the 21st year of the School of Graduate Studies fellowship program. Last year we gave ten types of awards, presenting more than 50 graduate fellowships with a total value of over $700,000.

Superior Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards:
The School of Graduate Studies gives an award recognizing superior graduate teaching assistants. Faculty and departments are asked to nominate outstanding graduate teaching assistants. There are normally about six recipients each year. They are recognized at our Annual Awards Celebration and receive a small monetary award.

Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award:
One thesis is chosen each year to receive this award. Each academic unit offering the master’s degree with a thesis option may nominate one thesis for the annual competition. There are usually around 60 theses completed each year at UMKC and anywhere from 5 to 10 of those are nominated for the award. The selection is made by a group of faculty representing the Graduate Officers committee and the Graduate Council. The winner receives a $250 award and their thesis is then nominated for consideration in the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Distinguished Thesis competition. This competition is held in the fall to meet the deadlines of the MAGS award. Brittney Scarborough from the department of Criminal Justice and Criminology is the winner for 2009 for "Assessing the Relationship Between Neighborhood Structure, Perceived Disorder and Fear of Crime." Her thesis advisor was Toya Like, Ph.D.

Outstanding Dissertation Award:
One award will be given this year. In some years we have given up to three awards to dissertations representing research in Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Humanities. This year there were 36 dissertations eligible for the award and 5 were nominated for the award. The winner of the Outstanding Dissertation Award for 2009 is Dr. Rebecca Seyferth an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. graduate from English and History, for "Experimentation and Transformation: The Dramas of Percy Bysshe Shelley Reconsidered." Her dissertation advisor was Stephen Dilks, Ph.D.

The fellowship categories and their awards are as follows:

Minority Master’s fellowship:
Up to six each year. The award is a 6-hour fee remission for the following Fall and Spring semesters.

Minority Doctoral fellowship:
We give 4 or 5 each year. The award is an 18-hour fee remission for the academic year and a $11,500 stipend.

Chancellor’s Doctoral fellowship:
This is a 2-year award and we give 10 new ones each year. Each unit offering a doctoral degree and each discipline in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program may nominate one student for this award. Of those nominated, only 10 will be selected. The award is an 18-hour fee remission for the academic year and a $11,500 stipend.

Preparing Future Faculty fellowship:
This is a 3-year award targeted toward exceptional students who aspire to become college or university professors. We give up to 5 new ones each year. The award is an 18-hour fee remission for the academic year and a $11,500 stipend. PFF fellows are paired with a faculty mentor and participate in a wide variety of teaching excellence seminars and mentoring activities throughout their 3-year fellowship tenure. These seminars and activities are also open to all other doctoral students at UMKC.

Arthur Mag Graduate fellowship:
This award was established in the early 1980s through a generous contribution from the Edward Swinney Trust of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. The selection criteria include high academic achievement, evidence of good citizenship and commitment to public service.

These criteria were established to reflect traits possessed by Mr. Mag who was a long-time community leader and benefactor of the University.

There are three new Mag scholars each year. The award is open to doctoral students from the College of Arts and Sciences, law students in the LLM program, and master’s and doctoral students in the Bloch School of Business and Public Administration.
Recipients receive a $15,000 stipend and up to 18 hours of fee remissions.

Dissertation Research fellowship:
Between 5 and 10 of these awards are given each year to students who are the final stages of their doctoral programs. These fellowships carry a stipend of $15,500 and up to 18 hours of fee remissions.

In Appreciation

2010-04-01T13:47:00.002-05:00

Since it is Staff Appreciation Week at UMKC, we thought it would be important for our Provost and Vice Provosts to say a few words:

“Staff play a significant role in making UMKC the dynamic and active urban university that it is by providing seamless support. Their efforts are apparent in working towards a campus that places students at the center, advances the sciences and the arts, and embraces diversity, research and economic development. I greatly appreciate staff’s continual input and accomplishments, and have the privilege to see how their hard work benefits faculty, students, and the greater community each day.”
—Gail Hackett, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

“When we look at what keeps the University running and able to serve and educate students, the staff are the linchpin. Without the staff at UMKC, I could not do my job. Thank you all so very much!”
—Mary Lou Hines Fritts, Vice Provost and CIO

“I feel very fortunate to work at UMKC and that good fortune is due to the outstanding staff members with whom I have the privilege to work. Their knowledge, dedication and hard work makes UMKC a great place to work and a great university for our students.”
—Ronald A. MacQuarrie, Vice Provost and Dean, School of Graduate Studies

“I appreciate our staff because they are willing to seek ways to improve in how they support our faculty, students and colleagues and will ‘go the extra mile’ to help!!”
—Cindy Pemberton, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

FaCET Annual Symposium April 9: Strategies for Student success in a Changing World

2010-03-25T11:44:00.003-05:00

Featuring Keynote Speaker Michael Wesch
The keynote speaker at the FaCET Annual Symposium, Michael Wesch, assistant professor of Cultural Anthropology and Digital Ethnography at Kansas State University, will be talking about Strategies for Student Success in a Changing World.

Register by April 7 for this event
The symposium is Friday, April 9, 2010, 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Kauffman Conference Center, 4801 Rockhill Road; all faculty are welcome. Visit the FaCET Web Site for the full schedule of events. The symposium is free of charge but advance registration is required. Register online by April 7, 2010.

About the speaker
Michael Wesch has developed several popular YouTube videos. He studies the effects of social media and digital technology on society, and believes that digital media will require changes in teaching. His video titled “Web 2.0 – The Machine is Us/ing Us,” has been viewed by billions of individuals around the world and can be watched on the FaCET Web site. The video illustrates that the Web changes everything from identity, to authorship, to governance, privacy, family and ourselves.

Professor Wesch has received numerous awards including the 2008 CASE/Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities. He was recently named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic, a program that recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring young adventurers, scientists, photographers, and storytellers – explorers who are already making a difference early in their careers.

Webcast available
For those unable to attend the live session, Michael Wesch’s keynote will be on the Web Friday, April 9, at 9:00 a.m. The webcast will be archived online at: www.umkc.edu/provost/facet.

New Faculty Ombudsperson Position

2010-03-18T08:23:00.004-05:00

UMKC is working to recruit a faculty ombudsperson. An ombudsperson facilitates communication when issues arise for faculty at the University.

An ombudsperson:
• acts as a neutral agent
• assists in resolving concerns about faculty rights, responsibilities and working environment
• seeks to secure expeditious and impartial resolutions
• recommends changes to existing policies or the development of new policies as needed

Position Description
Under the principles of fairness, equality and mutual respect, this person will serve a two-year term, receive at least a 25 percent release time from other responsibilities and will be acting independently from administrative offices and Faculty Senate.

The Ombudsperson must be a full-time, tenured UMKC faculty member or a retired UMKC faculty member who held a tenured, full-time position. The Ombudsperson must be familiar with UMKC policies and exhibit the highest ethical standards.

Application/Selection Process
Applicants/nominees must submit the following information to the Provost:
• Background, qualifications and outlook the applicant would bring to the position
• A comprehensive vita
• The names and contact information of at least three references

A search committee consists of three faculty senate representatives and three members appointed by the Provost. The finalist will be appointed by the Provost upon the approval of the Faculty Senate.

Applications are due March 29, 2010.

>>Read full position description and application process

UMKC in the spotlight as Kansas City hosts international conference this summer

2010-03-09T15:23:00.006-06:00

UMKC hosts nearly 1,000 international students and scholars who give our campus a global flavor and contribute to our rich, intellectual community. UMKC sends approximately 300 students abroad to study in 49 countries. 11 of our students have won the prestigious Fulbright Award (we have six applicants this year) and 35 faculty members have also won this award. International education and scholarship contributes to the richness of our campus and our community.

Kansas City will be the host city for the NAFSA 2010 international conference
NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the leading organization for international education, selected Kansas City to host its 69th annual international conference this summer, May 30-June 4, 2010.

World-class keynote speakers
Plenary speakers are Salman Rushdie, celebrated and controversial author, and Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and human rights activist. 8,000 participants from around the globe are expected to attend this conference.

Mark your calendars
Mark your calendars for this conference—especially Monday, May 31 for the campus-wide reception. This year’s NAFSA Conference provides UMKC with a unique opportunity to showcase our campus and programs to international advisors, sponsors, and ambassadors.

- Linna Place, Ph.D., Interim Director, International Academic Programs and Sandy Gault, Director of International Student Affairs

Learn more about the annual conference in Kansas City. For more information about UMKC’s involvement in the conference please email international@umkc.edu.

Growing and Expanding Research at UMKC

2010-03-04T09:02:00.003-06:00

In order for UMKC to build and strengthen our research portfolio, we must build on our existing strengths. One of our greatest strengths at UMKC is having four health science schools (Medicine, Dental, Nursing, Pharmacy) on one campus--there are only 30 other universities in the nation that have this asset. Our urban setting is also a strategic asset; this setting gives us access to a large patient population.

Building upon our current research priorities is threefold:

1. A Translational/Clinical Research Center will serve our urban community, train graduate students and medical personnel, and further create collaboration with other hospital and research institutions in the area.

2. A Center for Technology Transfer is also necessary as a vehicle to move research out of the academic world and into the eyes of the public, move research from the “test tube to the patient”.

3. We need to further identify areas of expertise and excellence to form UMKC Centers of Excellence in order to enhance productivity and sources of funding in order to accelerate discovery, support graduate education, and the university as a whole.

-Lynda F. Bonewald, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, Curator's Professor, Lee M and William Lefkowitz Professor, Director of the Bone Biology Research Program, and Director of the UMKC Center of Excellence in Mineralized Tissues

School of Pharmacy Awarded Transformative Community Service Award

2010-02-25T08:40:00.005-06:00

On February 8, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) recognized our School of Pharmacy for their depth and breadth of community service. At the award ceremony held in Washington D.C., the School of Pharmacy received a Steuben glass Beacon of Light and a $5000 financial stipend in recognition of their outreach in the Kansas City community.

The School of Pharmacy works with the Kansas City Free Health Clinic, Truman Medical Center, Western Missouri Mental Health Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center, and Kansas City VA Hospital, and they have also been involved in community service programs in St. Joseph and Columbia, Missouri. The School has assisted over 17,000 patients with low and no-cost prescription coverage, health screening, resources and education, immunization information and drug abuse prevention.

By caring for the underserved, establishing programs for disadvantaged and isolated communities, reaching out to traditionally underrepresented groups, and developing leadership that organizes prevention, health education, care and services for the community, the School of Pharmacy is a model in transforming a community. The School of Pharmacy’s dedication to our community exemplifies UMKC’s mission and goals to lead in life and health sciences, embrace diversity and advance in urban engagement.

To read more about the School of Pharmacy’s award see the UMKC November News Release.

Student Experiences and Feedback and at UMKC

2010-02-18T12:18:00.003-06:00

The National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE, is a national survey sent to a sample of first‐year and senior students to determine their relationship with the academic, social, and environmental aspects of the college or university they are attending. UMKC has participated in the survey eight times out of the past nine years, and in 2009, a random sample of 930 freshman students participated in the survey.

The information derived from NSSE data is a reflection of student experiences and offers a comparison of student responses from peer institutions. NSSE data is helpful to inform strategies or initiatives that improve student success at UMKC. It is also used in various other settings for discussions about student experiences and feedback, for example, in regard to studying, faculty standards and interactions with students, assignments, community-participation, application of education, and enriching educational experiences.

In order to inform your own work you can read about student experiences at UMKC in the reports:

• Student Experience in Brief: UMKC
• Executive Snapshot 2009

You can also learn more about NSSE national findings and general information at the UMKC Institutional Research Web site.

The Student Success and Retention Workshop with ACT

2010-02-11T12:49:00.004-06:00

On February 24th, we will welcome Dr. Steve Robbins, Dr. Wes Habley and Mr. Charles Ramos from ACT, Inc. to UMKC. They will be presenting at the Student Success and Retention Workshop, a follow-up to last spring’s Student Retention Retreat and to the work the academic units have been doing on their unit specific enrollment management and student retention strategic plans.

The Student Success and Retention Workshop with ACT will be an opportunity for faculty and staff to learn more information related to student success, student retention, and how ACT scores and skills impact enrollment, advising, and student support.

It is UMKC’s mission to create a vibrant learning and campus life experience for UMKC students. This means placing student success at the center. The Student Success and Retention Workshop will provide an opportunity to share ideas focused on supporting our students.

Implementing Strategic Initiatives and Promoting Collaboration

2010-02-04T14:21:00.006-06:00

UMKC’s Office of the Provost and Division of Academic Affairs promotes collaboration across the University and oversees policies and initiatives that shape the academic life of the University as a whole. In doing so, the Provost Office sees a need to improve on our ability to more openly and clearly communicate with faculty and staff and create a better system in which we implement strategic initiatives to achieve student outcomes. Therefore, Jake Kupiec joined the Provost Office to aid in these endeavors.

Jake Kupiec has worked in higher education and has focused her work on the effectiveness of Web communications since 1995. Before coming to UMKC, she served as the executive director of digital initiatives at the University of Nevada, Reno and prior to that she was the director of Web communications at Arizona State University. Her expertise includes the strategic use of the Web to achieve university goals; Web governance and organization in universities; and the use of social networking to enhance student recruitment and improve student success, student retention and graduation. She is currently pursuing an advanced degree in geography; her area of research is focused on the geography of online communities and leveraging online community membership to improve student outcomes.

The Provost Office is pleased to have Jake join our team. Our campus community has already benefited from her talent and drive for constant growth and improvement.

Faculty Leave of Absence Request

2010-01-28T14:27:00.003-06:00

Leaves of absence provide faculty with an opportunity for reflection, research, and professional development essential in a scholarly community. Tenured, tenure-track, and full-time, ranked non-tenure track research faculty members with established scholarly, artistic or research records are eligible to apply for a research leave, which may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. Tenured, tenure-track and full-time, ranked non-tenure track faculty members are also eligible to apply for a development leave to pursue personal, professional, instructional, or administrative development. Development leaves may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. Tenured faculty members are eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave after six or more years of service, and can reapply for subsequent sabbatical leaves six years after the prior sabbatical leave. Sabbatical leaves may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. A faculty member on a sabbatical leave will receive up to one-half their regular annual salary.

The UMKC Faculty Leave of Absence Request process is now posted on the Provost Website on the Policies and Procedures page. It is important to emphasize that:

• Leave of absence requests must be submitted to the Provost for approval at least 90 days before the leave of absence.
• The Provost Office suggests a minimum period of seven years between professional leaves.
• The unit’s Human Resources Facilitator (HRF) must review all Leave of Absence Request Forms prior to submission to the Provost.
• Medical leaves are subject to Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guidelines and approval; contact UMKC Human Resources (816-235-1621) for guidance through the FMLA process.

Simply click on “Leave of Absence – Faculty” on the Policies and Procedures page to find everything you need to know about the application, approval and processing of faculty leave requests. The site also includes links to the official Faculty Leave Policy (CRR 340.070) and Leave Request Form, as well as brief definitions of the different types of leave available to faculty and other handy tips.

For additional information regarding Faculty Leave of Absences, contact Beci Edmundson (edmundsonr@umkc.edu).

General Education Advisory Task Force at UMKC

2010-01-21T14:49:00.004-06:00

In a September 2009 presentation at UMKC, the President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), Carol Geary Schneider asserted the need for general education to better prepare students for “global interdependence, innovation in the workplace and a diverse democracy.” The General Education Advisory Task Force at UMKC began meeting November 2009 in order to review the current status of our general education program, review the national approaches to general education, and make recommendations to the provost regarding revising or our campus wide general education program. The task force has been charged with developing a strategy and plan for the creation and implementation of a general education program tied to the UMKC mission focusing on student success and student retention. This new general education program will need to include a premier student learning assessment component and an ongoing review and revision cycle.

The task force is currently:

• Studying national trends and emphasis areas in general education
• Reviewing general education programs that have undergone revision
• Reviewing the processes aspirational peer institutions and exemplary programs have used in their general education program revision processes.

As part of the process, the General Education Advisory Task Force plans to submit a proposal to be considered as a participant in the 2010 AAC&U Institute on General Education.

Learn more about the General Education Advisory Task Force charge and responsibilities, recent happenings, members, and meetings at the General Education Advisory Task Force Web site.

The New Student Email System

2010-01-14T16:11:00.004-06:00

As you may have heard, the University has partnered with Microsoft to provide a new e-mail system for students. The new system, called Outlook Live has much to offer, including a larger 10GB inbox, a Skydive with 25GB of online storage, as well as collaboration and social networking tools.

As students migrate to the new platform, they will have a new e-mail address: username@mail.umkc.edu. After students opt-in to the new system, any new e-mail sent to their old Exchange accounts at username@umkc.edu will be automatically forwarded to their new Outlook Live accounts. Students will be able to login to their old Exchange e-mail accounts so that they have a chance to move e-mail from the old system to the new Outlook Live system throughout the Spring 2010 semester. Students should continue to use their current SSO ID and password to login into Pathway, Blackboard, lab computers, etc.

The deadline for opting in to the new Outlook Live e-mail system is February 12, 2010. After that date all student e-mail accounts will be automatically migrated to Outlook Live. Students can find more information about the process and how to opt-in to Outlook Live before the deadline by visiting the IS website at http://www.umkc.edu/is/webmail/live/transition.asp. Please visit the IS website for more information on Outlook Live. The UMKC IS Call Center is available at (816) 235-2000 to help answer questions about Outlook Live and other technology resources at UMKC.

-Written by Marilyn Reisenbichler, UMKC Information Services, Director, Support Services

Shifting the Focus for the New Year

2010-01-05T09:00:00.003-06:00

The Office of the Provost’s mission is to work in concert with the academic units to provide a vibrant intellectual community for UMKC’s faculty and students. We hope to expand our efforts in 2010 and have created a communications plan for Academic Affairs outlining specific goals.

We would like to better utilize the blog to facilitate an ongoing dialogue between the provost office and the faculty, with more posts coming directly from the Provost, Vice Provosts, and other academic leaders. The posts will be more concise and hopefully communicate more information that faculty need and want to know.

We want to have greater variety and volume of communication coming from our office, and in order to do so we depend on your feedback and ideas. If you have suggestions, please let us know.

You can provide suggestions by clicking on the comment box below, using the suggestion box to the right, or emailing us at provostblog@umkc.edu.

The Debate on Students Earning an Undergraduate Education in Three Years

2009-12-15T14:41:00.005-06:00

Here are two articles for your review about the debate on students earning an undergraduate education in three years. In the Strategic Plan for 2010-2020 our first goal is to "place student success at the center," which means "offering superior services to students through a model that allows a one-stop approach (real and virtual) to meet students’ needs." The following articles bring to question if there are new ways of doing this.

The Three-Year Solution, by Lamar Alexander

What is College for Anyway?, by Debra Rosenberg

The articles were originally published in the October 26th, 2009, Newsweek.

A New Vision for Research

2009-12-08T15:30:00.011-06:00

The Office of the Provost was pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lynda Bonewald, Lee M. and William Lefkowitz Professor of Oral Biology and Director of UMKC’s Bone Biology Research Program, as Interim Vice Chancellor for Research on October 15, 2009 . In her new position, which is an outcome of the strategic planning process, she oversees UMKC’s Office of Research and the research and economic development initiatives. Dr. Bonewald agreed to introduce herself for this week’s blog post.

Little did I think that I would be the one to fill the position recommended by the Life Sciences Task Force in 2003 when I first read the report. The position was described as “An able scientific leader…. given the authority and the responsibility to build life sciences at UMKC”. That is a tall order, but as Vice Chancellor for Research (Interim), a position created by the UMKC strategic planning process, I am creating objectives with the help of other leaders in our community to move life and health sciences at UMKC forward. These objectives include ‘achieving world-class programs’, obtaining the resources to do so, and ‘to work together with partners within the University and in the greater Kansas City area’.

With regards to my educational background, I received a BS in Biology from the University of Texas in 1973. I graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1984 with a PhD in Immunology/Microbiology. My postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Hospital in Charleston, SC in hematology was under the mentorship of Makio Ogawa, a world-renowned hematologist. I was recruited to the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas as an Assistant Professor in 1986 in the Endocrinology Division directed by Dr. Gregory Mundy, an internationally known Bone Biologist. In 2001, I was recruited to UMKC School of Dentistry Dept. of Oral Biology to establish a Mineralized Tissue Research Program. When I arrived, I was a full professor with two R01s and a program project. In 2005, I became a University of Missouri Curator’s Professor and in 2009, I established and became Director of the UMKC Center of Excellence in the Study of Dental and Musculoskeletal Tissues, a multi- and interdisciplinary center.

UMKC has considerable potential to become a leader in Life and Health Sciences. I am excited about growing and expanding this potential. I know many creative, productive scientists, strong, yet fair administrators, and many truly exceptional and dedicated support staff. Chancellor Morton and Executive Vice Chancellor Hackett provide committed, stable, and experienced leadership to UMKC. To become competitive with regards to funding and other types of awards, it is necessary for our Life and Health Sciences Schools to collaborate and work together. My goal is to create and provide a stimulating, supportive environment so that our dedicated, passionate scientists can be productive and successful by accomplishing their goals of discovery while training the next generation of dedicated scientists.

-Lynda F. Bonewald, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research Interim, Curator's Professor Lee M and William Lefkowitz Professor Director, Bone Biology Research Program Director, UMKC Center of Excellence in Mineralized Tissues, Univ. of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry, Dept. of Oral Biology

Every 9 and a Half Minutes, Someone in the U.S. is Infected with HIV

2009-12-01T13:19:00.004-06:00

December 1st is World AIDS Day - a day that was established by the World Health Organization in 1988 - that was 21 years ago! Last evening I was talking with my husband about how much progress has been made in the treatment of HIV and AIDS in this country. We are both 'front line' health care providers who have seen HIV disease transform from one of certain death with much pain and suffering to a disease that is manageable for many years. Our patients can now live long, healthy and productive lives - thanks to the availabilty of excellent antiretroviral treatment. However, not everyone has the luxury of seeing their patients with HIV do so well. In developing countries and in areas with limited resources, many people are still dying and suffering from this disease.

We may have made a lot of strides in HIV treatment, but we are losing the battle when it comes to HIV prevention. Today there are 33 million people in the world living with HIV, over a million are Americans. Did you know that every 9 and a half minutes someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV? There is a lot of work to be done if we are to end the HIV epedemic. Many barriers and challenges to HIV prevention persist - ignorance, stigma, and discrimination - just to name a few. I ask you on this World AIDS Day to be a part of the solution - talk to your friends, families and colleagues. Pass on the message that the time has come to intensify our efforts to stop the HIV epedemic. Let everyone know that, in this country, every 9.5 minutes, someone is infected with HIV.

-Written by Maithe Enriquez, PhD, RN, ANP is Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at UMKC and Nurse Practitioner at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City.

Technology Services for the Classroom

2009-11-24T16:35:00.000-06:00

UMKC has a new technical resource for faculty to improve communication, the flow of information, and ways to interact in the classroom. With eInstruction you can incorporate this software into your classroom to gain immediate feedback from students.

College of Arts and Sciences Moves to the A&S E-Zine to Get Out the News

2009-11-12T09:10:00.004-06:00

The first issue of the UMKC CAS electronic newsletter was distributed in late October 2009 to all A&S faculty and staff. This new adventure into e-communications was born of both desire and necessity. The desire was to put a new look on the way we share information about the College. The necessity came from a backlog of information that had accumulated over the summer that could not be readily put on the A&S web site. The “Late Summer 2009 Issue” can be found at: http://cas.umkc.edu/News/CAS-News-Late-Summer-2009.pdf

Since this is a new enterprise in a rapidly changing environment, we expect that the look of our e-zine will continue to evolve for a while. We hope we can provide both timely and broad coverage of past and coming activities, of achievements and successes, and tell about the entire College family: staff, faculty, students, alumni as well as benefactors and friends of the College. While it may be necessary at times to focus more on one than another of these “family members,” over time we plan to showcase them all. And we want to do it by being a guide and not an essayist. That is, we plan to have little text and many links to fuller discussions and more details that should be found on department and other Web sites. We intend to have some photos and other graphics that help tell the stories we choose to cover. But our goal is to highlight topics in ways that catch the interest of readers of the E-Zine and point them to where they can find the rest of the story. We do not have the space to tell all that needs to be told about the many outstanding stories found in the College.

While we expect to publish in one-month intervals, special issues are always possible and the academic year calendar may cause us to vary our publication schedule at times. Those who have ideas or items for stories are asked to submit them by way of their chair, director or supervisor to Dale Neuman at Neumand@umkc.edu so that the items can first be posted to the unit’s Web site and we need only then provide a brief notice and the link in the A&S e-zine. We look forward to comments and suggestions.

-Written by Dale Neuman, Editor of the A&S Newsletter, Special Projects Associate, College of Arts and Sciences. He is also Director of the Harry S Truman Center for Governmental Affairs and Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science.

Celebrating Excellence

2009-11-06T08:15:00.001-06:00

If you have not already heard UMKC has new faculty and staff awards. In order to honor you for all of your ongoing efforts in teaching, service, mentoring and research, UMKC has both new and long standing awards that highlight the diversity of work taking place every day at UMKC. We encourage you to take the time to nominate those that deserve to be recognized, and we greatly look forward to celebrating those achievements in the New Year.

Please visit the Faculty and Staff Awards Web site, learn about the new awards, and nominate those that have provided outstanding contributions to our campus community and community at large.

New Initiatives at the Women’s Center Support Women and Girls in STEM Fields

2009-10-27T13:48:00.008-05:00

During the current academic year, the UMKC Women’s Center is working on a variety of projects to help promote the recruitment and retention of women and girls in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Current initiatives began when planning for the 2009 Starr Symposium in fall 2008. As the committee was commencing its work, an article in the New York Times highlighted a study that noted that girls with exceptional talent in math are rarely identified in the United States, helping
to lead to a shortage of qualified scientists and engineers. Partly in response to that study, the Starr committee decided to bring former astronaut Mae Jemison to campus to talk about how to get women and girls interested in STEM careers, and also developed the Starr Women Leaders Program, to help support UMKC and high school students studying STEM fields.

At about the same time, the local branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) was discussing setting up a program focusing on women and girls in STEM as part of the national AAUW’s “Breaking through Barriers in STEM for Women and Girls” initiative and approached the UMKC Women’s Center about a possible collaboration, the result of which was the development of the Women in Science and Engineering Program (WISE). Slated to begin in Spring 2020, the mission of WISE will be to foster the personal, academic, and professional development of women graduate students in math, engineering, technology, science and the health sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Finally, the Women’s Center was approached by two outside groups looking for partners on their programs for women and girls in STEM – Sally Ride Science is bringing their Sally Ride Science Festival to UMKC on Sunday, November 8 and the Women’s Center is a key partner. Earlier this month, we also took part in a Community Conversation on Girls in STEM fields, co-hosted by the Girl Scouts,Science Pioneers, the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City, KU Med, Project Lead the Way, and other groups – and we will be working on designing follow-up projects based on the information and suggestions collected from the community conversations.

While the timing of some of the current programs has been serendipitous, the goal behind all of them is to increase the number of women and girls pursuing careers in STEM fields. We do so because, in the words of the AAUW, “The lack of women and girls in STEM fields has significant implications for women’s economic security as well as the overall economy and America’s global competitiveness . . . If women and members of other traditionally underrepresented groups joined the STEM workforce in proportion to their representation in the overall labor force, the shortage of STEM professionals would disappear” (source). While the UMKC Women’s Center and UMKC cannot hope to entirely solve these problems, I am hopeful that we can make a significant contribution through programs and partnerships such as the ones described above.

-Written by Brenda Bethman, Ph.D., Director, UMKC Women’s Center

In the Spotlight

2009-10-19T13:07:00.008-05:00

Founded in part by the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at UMKC, KCSourceLink was the first implementation of the U.S.SourceLink model and served as the incubator for further network development. U.S.SourceLink’s affiliate, AKSourceLink (Alaska SourceLink) just won the top prize at the University Economic Development Association's (UEDA) 2009 Awards of Excellence Competition for Excellence in Partnership Development.

The Kansas City Repertory Theatre won three Pitch “Best Of” 2009 awards:

Best Theater for Artistic Director, Eric Rosen’s, risk taking productions like Clay and Winesburg, Ohio, for supporting local talent and for maintaining first-rate technical and design standards.
Best Play for The Glass Menagerie, directed by Obie winner, David Cromer, and praised for the production’s use of art, technology and tough emotional truth.
Best Director for Kyle Hatley’s versatility on Hamlet, The Death of Cupid and The Borderland

National exhibit celebrating Women in Medicine comes to KC

2009-10-12T13:11:00.003-05:00

UMKC is currently co-hosting the national traveling exhibition “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians.” Our city is one of only 61 sites nationwide to host this exhibit, which runs through Nov. 11. The exhibit is a collaborative effort of the four libraries of the three Kansas City-area medical schools: Dykes Library and Clendening History of Medicine Library of the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences Library, and the UMKC Health Sciences Library.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), Bethesda, Md., and the American Library Association, Chicago, IL, organized the traveling exhibition with support from the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health, and the American Medical Women’s Association. The traveling exhibition is based on a larger exhibition that was displayed at the NLM from 2003–2005. The local exhibit received additional support through grants from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and the Health Sciences Library Network of Kansas City.

Along with the exhibit, which is housed at the Dykes Library on the KU Med campus, there will be a number of special events highlighting the evolving role of women in medicine. UMKC will host a special Changing the Face of Medicine lecture at noon on Tuesday, October 20, in the UMKC School of Law Courtroom. The event will feature Dr. Diane Buckingham, an adolescent psychiatrist featured in the national exhibit and current faculty member at the UMKC School of Medicine. The topic of Dr. Buckingham’s presentation will be “Opening the Doors to Multicultural Diversity and the Changing Faces of Color: Patient and Women Empowerment.”
For more information about the Changing the Face of Medicine exhibit and related events, view the UMKC news release.

Submitted by: Amrita J. Burdick, MALS, MA Ed., AHIP
Clinical Medical Librarian, UMKC Health Sciences Library

Construction and the UMKC Master Plan

2009-10-05T11:20:00.001-05:00

UMKC’s new Student Union was “Topped Off” with placement of the final steel beam in the structure at a ceremony on September 28, 2009. The steel structure of the 110,000-square-foot building located between the administrative building and Cherry Street is now in place. In an estimated one year’s time, Fall 2010, the new Student Union will be fully equipped with a food court, coffee house, student organization and meeting rooms, open stage area, lounge seating, game room, student radio station, atrium and extended parking lot.

It is exciting to see the new construction taking place all over UMKC as described in the campus Master Plan. This progress moves us toward the fulfillment of our strategic goal of creating a vibrant learning and campus-life experience. The new Stanley H. Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field and the Herman and Dorothy Johnson Hall are both testaments of our hard work to become an urban campus that enhances the student experience.

The Master Pan web site is a comprehensive resource for learning more about completed, current, and future construction endeavors. If you missed the Toping-off Ceremony you can still view the progress of the Student Union on the construction Webcam.

UMKC's IEI Ranked in the Top 25 Entrepreneurial Programs in the Nation

2009-09-24T09:18:00.007-05:00

A recent study commissioned by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation – “Time to Get it Right: A Strategy for Higher Education in Kansas City” – recommended that UMKC build areas of excellence, with the goal of having several programs ranked in the nation’s top 25. Today we are one step closer to achieving that goal.

I’m happy to announce that The Princeton Review ranked UMKC’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI) at the Bloch School one of the top 25 entrepreneurial programs in the nation. This places UMKC and the Bloch School in the top tier of entrepreneurial colleges and business schools in the country.

This prestigious ranking is a testament to all of you – students, faculty, staff and supporters – with the vision, talent and commitment to make a good program great. It validates that our cross-disciplinary approach to entrepreneurial and experiential learning is a valuable asset and is positioning our University, students and community for success.

What an incredible accomplishment for our city and for UMKC.

Please join me in celebrating this good news.

For more information go to the Bloch School News Details.

Kansas City Area Educational Research Consortium: Collaborative Research for Educational Improvement

2009-09-17T10:10:00.005-05:00

Researchers from UMKC, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Kansas, the Kansas State University and Washington University in St. Louis are partnering with Kansas City area school districts to form a Kansas City Area Educational Research Consortium (KC-AERC). Modeled after a similar consortium in Chicago (http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/content/index.php), KC-AERC's aim is to bring additional research capacity to area public schools, using data to answer research questions that the districts have identified as important for school improvement. A kickoff event for key stakeholders will be held on September 25th and will feature John Easton, current head of the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES) and former research director of the Chicago Consortium. Invitees include representatives from the State Departments of Education, Superintendents and Research Directors from K-12 districts, teacher’s union representatives and interested faculty and administrators from the partnering universities.

The consortium has received one year startup funds of approximately $850,000 from the Ewing Kauffman foundation to build infrastructure and complete three demonstration research projects on topics that KC area school districts have identified as important: alignment of curriculum and assessment in mathematics education; predictors of successful transition to higher education, and trends in teacher workforce retention and mobility. Current faculty researchers come from departments housed within Arts and Science, Schools of Education and Schools of Business. Faculty from any disciplinary background with an interest in K-12 education may participate. If any faculty on UMKC’s campus think they may be interested in being involved with the consortium, please contact Tamera Murdock murdocktb@umkc.edu in the Department of Psychology or Carolyn Barber barberce@umkc.edu in the the School of Education for more information. Further details about the consortium and the kick-off event can be found on the KC-AERC website: http://www.kcaerc.org/.

-Written by Tamera Murdock, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology

Second Annual Agapito Mendoza Scholarship Breakfast

2009-09-15T14:48:00.002-05:00

The University of Missouri – Kansas City will hold its Second Annual Agapito Mendoza Scholarship Breakfast in honor of the late Associate Provost on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. in Pierson Auditorium. Last year over 200 campus and community members came together to raise $17,000 for scholarships to assist Latina/o students attending UMKC.

Dr. Mendoza was known for his commitment to all students and his ability to make each student he touched feel unique and valued. The ability to award Agapito Mendoza Scholarships helps attract more Hispanic Students and retain them through graduation. Additionally the success of the breakfast demonstrates to the Kansas City Hispanic Community that we value the vital and unique experiences that Latina/o students add to the academic and cultural success of our university.

Please help us continue this important event by attending and inviting your friends and colleagues. This event is free, however, guests will be asked to make a personal donation to the Hispanic Scholarship fund in the name of Agapito Mendoza. Each dollar donated will be matched up to $8,000 by the Hispanic Development Fund, and UMKC will further match these awards which can be used for tuition, books, and housing. We ask that you help us carry on his tradition of support for each and every student in their particular academic dream.

To RSVP please contact Leo Leckie at (816)235-1298 or leckiel@umkc.edu.

-Written by Kristi Ryujin, Director, Diveristy Initiatives

New Orleans Four Years after Hurricane Katrina

2009-09-08T13:07:00.010-05:00

This time of year is difficult for anyone who has lived in or loved the city of New Orleans. For us, the date 8/29 is like the date 9/11 for New Yorkers. There’s not much to say about it and it certainly isn’t anything to celebrate – but privately, everyone knows what’s on each other’s minds.

Four years ago last week approximately 80 percent of the city was under water –with some areas under 10 ft or more. While the passing of Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy took center stage in the media last week, the confluence of Senator Kennedy’s death and the fourth anniversary of Katrina and the federal flood provided an interesting and timely combination of events.

Senator Kennedy was a lifelong advocate for government action in the public interest. The botched federal response to the disaster in 2005 was a clear vindication of Kennedy’s political vision. The Bush Administration’s failure to respond was seen by a majority of Americans as an affront to the basic belief that government can and must respond to the needs of citizens when a disaster or other events exceed their ability to respond. Even more so, the disaster has become a symbol that the movement for a more equitable and integrated society – something that Senator Kennedy fought for his entire career - requires a renewed, public effort.

Today in metropolitan areas across the country, neighborhoods are struggling to recover from the double-barreled crisis of housing foreclosures and an economic recession caused by market failure. How exactly this crisis is unfolding varies across neighborhoods and its impact is uneven. In responding to the challenge of economic recovery in Kansas City, there is much to learn from the disaster recovery process in New Orleans.

First and foremost – recovery requires citizen engagement. Any effort that fails to put citizen engagement and participatory processes at the forefront of neighborhood revitalization will fail. While participatory processes may take longer, they are critical for building the commitment and momentum that is necessary for the task at hand. Citizens must get organized and stay organized to ensure that recovery dollars are not squandered and that the federal impact is leveraged as much as possible. The task of rebuilding neighborhoods cannot be a top down endeavor.

Secondly, recovery provides an opportunity for innovation and entrepreneurship. One of the observations that may seem contradictory is that disasters provide moments of opportunity. Across the city of New Orleans it was the locally owned businesses of all sizes that helped to rebuild the city while chain stores waited on the sidelines.

Neighborhood businesses are critical to the life of a city and urban neighborhoods. In the inner city neighborhoods of Kansas City, we need to rebuild the fabric of commerce through innovation and the incubation of small businesses and providing successful firms with the tools and training to bring their business to a large market. Efforts like the Viable Third in Kansas City and Stay Local! in New Orleans provide examples of business and consumer organizing that can change the economy from the ground up.

Thirdly, there is a great need to bring creativity to the task of recovery. Responding to a disaster as widespread and foreboding as the impact of the federal flood in New Orleans requires humor, art and conviviality. In the darkest corners of New Orleans devastated neighborhoods, artists and musicians were often the most successful at holding up a mirror to the absurdity of the disaster in ways that justified and renewed community commitment to the long task of recovery.
My colleague Michael Frisch and I recently completed a special issue on the “Design Moment” in New Orleans in the Journal of Urban Design (v14 n3 August 2009).

In this issue we explain how the response to a disaster is often a moment of great creativity and broad debate about the fundamentals that make up the social and physical fabric of a city. By undoing existing social and political structures and exposing underlying inequities, disasters provide an opening for new ideas and critical reflection. However, at the same time, many residents are motivated by a desire to simply put life back together. It is the contrast between these two impulses that make up the basic character of a design moment after a disaster.

As Kansas City and UMKC begin to develop a plan for the Green Impact Zone of Missouri, we invite you to read our special issue and reflect upon the case of New Orleans’ imperfect recovery from a great disaster as a prelude to a larger task of rebuilding America’s cities.

-Written by Jacob A. Wagner, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design

President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities Visits UMKC

2009-08-28T08:15:00.003-05:00

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has been a resource for hundreds of campuses as they work to engage their students and their general education programs with the challenges of this new global century. On Wednesday, September 2nd, Dr. Carol Geary Schneider will provide a university-wide keynote address at UMKC titled, “General Education and Integrative Learning: Fulfilling the Promise of a 21st Century College Education.” Dr. Schneider, who has been president of AAC&U since 1998, will talk about the emerging themes and priorities in contemporary approaches to general education; about new research on “high impact” educational practices; and especially about ways to help students reap the full benefit of their studies beyond the major.

To find out more information about Dr. Schneider see the article about her in this month’s UMatters.

Dr. Carol Geary Schneider, President of AACU
University-wide Presentation
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 ~ 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Royall Hall, Room 104

New Faculty Orientation

2009-08-20T07:39:00.008-05:00

On Wednesday, August 12, 2009, twenty-three new University of Missouri – Kansas City faculty members attended the New Faculty Orientation Program. The program was primarily focused on the teaching/learning process and on conducting research as a faculty member at UMKC.

UMKC faculty involved in the panel presentation on teaching/learning included: Dr. Cindy Amyot, Dr. Wayne Vaught, Dr. Linda Breytspraak and Dr. Kathleen Kilway. Dr. Susan Adler, Dr. Mike Kruger, Dr. Len Dobens and Dr. Trent Guess were the UMKC faculty panelists discussing strategies related to pursuing a productive research agenda.

There were also opportunities for faculty to visit with representatives from a variety of campus services, and “giveaways” were provided by Swinney Recreation Center, UMKC Intercollegiate Athletics, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, KCUR, UMKC Dining Services and the UMKC Bookstore!! Faculty were provided with tours of Swinney Recreation Center, Miller Nichols Library, the FaCET Offices and the Health Sciences Library.

We would like to welcome the new faculty to the University of Missouri – Kansas City and hope they have a great first semester!

SEE THE NEW FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES

-Written by Cindy Pemberton, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Welcoming Students Through Convocation

2009-08-13T08:58:00.006-05:00

Provost Hackett has asked the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management to take the lead in coordinating the UMKC Convocation this fall with the new student Welcome Day. The outcomes for Convocation are to welcome our new undergraduate students to UMKC, introduce them to campus traditions, and help them engage with the campus and faculty to support their transition to UMKC.

While Welcome Day has been historically a social celebration, this year Convocation will be a more formal event designed to officially welcome new freshmen, transfers and international students to academic life at UMKC. As this will be the first step towards their graduation, Deans and faculty will wear regalia to the welcoming pinning ceremony.

As a part UMKC’s vision to place student success at the center, Convocation provides an opportunity for faculty to provide a “high impact” educational experience associated with student engagement and retention. One of the most important foundations for success is forming professional relationships between students and faculty. According to Dr. Richard Light, in his book, Making the Most of College: Students Speak their Minds, faculty-student interactions are some of the most important experiences students will have in college. He confirms that “students who get the most out of college, who grow the most academically, and who are happiest organize their time to include activities with faculty members, or with several other students, focused around accomplishing substantive academic work.” New Student Convocation gives students the perfect opportunity to engage with their peers and faculty prior to the start of classes and begin their experience at UMKC with the best chance of success.

Convocation will be held August 23rd at 1:00 in the Swinney Recreation Center. Following the formal event, students will be escorted to Academic Unit specific events, wrapping up with a Barbecue at 4:00 p.m. All faculty members are welcome to join in this new tradition in Swinney and you can contact your Dean for the academic unit specific portion of the program.

If you would like to learn more about Convocation and the other planned Welcome Week activities please visit www.umkc.edu/welcomeweek/.

-Written by Eric Grospitch, Ed.D., Assistant Dean of Students

Nationally Competitive Fellowships and International Academic Programs

2009-08-06T09:03:00.007-05:00

Like their counterparts at the University of Chicago, Ivy League schools, West Coast universities and other highly ranked institutions, UMKC students have been recognized for their scholarly achievement and leadership service.

Some of the nationally competitive prestigious merit-based fellowships UMKC students have won:

DAAD:
Scholarships to Germany for a minimum of four (one semester) and a maximum of 10 months (one academic year). Recipients are awarded a monthly stipend of approximately € 650 (US $900 - $1000), plus additional funds to help defray travel and research expenses as well as health insurance
Environmental Protection Agency GRO Environmental Fellowship:
For junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer between junior and senior years. The fellowship provides up to $17,000 per year of academic support and up to $7,500 of internship support for the three-month summer period.
Fulbright:
a substantial award for international study and research. Size varies according to country, but generally covers round-trip transportation, language or orientation courses (where appropriate), tuition, book and research allowances, maintenance for the academic year based on living costs in the host country, and health and accident insurance.
Gilman:
Up to $5,000 for American undergraduates who are also Pell grant recipients to pursue overseas study for college credit.
James Madison:
Up to $24,000 awarded to superior current teachers who must be able to complete graduate study within 5 calendar years of part-time study.
Javits:
Stipend of $30,000, and institutional payment in lieu of fees $12,891 for up to 4 years of graduate study.
Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship:
$5,000 to PKP members entering the first year of graduate or professional study.
Presidential Management Fellows Program:
2- year Federal government internship for outstanding women and men from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. Entry level salaries at GS 9, 11, 12 Levels (approx. $41,000-$59,000).
Rotary Ambassadorial:
$25,000 for one academic year of study in another country.
Truman:
Up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields.
Udall:
Undergraduate scholarships of up to $5,000 in fields related to the environment, and to Native American and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care or tribal policy.

International Academic Programs is an office dedicated to assisting students in their applications for these nationally competitive merit-based fellowships at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is important that the faculty be aware of the opportunities and to encourage their strong students to come to the office to talk in depth about the possibilities. The office serves students across the entire university system, and works closely with faculty mentors who are deeply committed to students receiving fellowships. For further information about these and many other fellowship opportunities, consult the website at www.umkc.edu/international.

This fall International Academic Programs will be hosting a fellowship workshop for students early in the fall semester – September 17th, 2009 from 4:15 PM until 5:15 PM in the Adminstrative Center Plaza Room. For more information and to RSVP, please email international@umkc.edu.

If you would like to know more about the International Academic Programs services and opportunities see the April 29th post or visit their web site and blog.

The Benefits of the Articulation Agreement between JCCC and UMKC

2009-07-23T14:03:00.006-05:00

Since our goal in the Academic Affairs/Provost Office is to improve the scholarly endeavors and the scope of degree programs available at UMKC, we are proud to be a part of the new partnership between UMKC and Johnson County Community College (JCCC) and see the relationship as a continual movement towards progress at UMKC.

The move to transfer students after earning an associate degree from JCCC to UMKC will benefit the community residents of Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, and Wyandotte counties in Kansas as well as UMKC. Not only will this increase the number of students at UMKC, but will help in student retention and provide opportunities for people to stay and develop their skills within the community. Given that around 30% of the undergraduate population at UMKC is composed of nontraditional students or students over the age of 25, UMKC is in a position, by opening our doors to students who have completed work at JCCC, to attract more of this population. The College of Arts and Sciences, the Bloch School of Business, the Conservatory of Music and Dance, the Schools of Biological Sciences, Computing and Engineering, Education, Dentistry, Nursing, and Pharmacy will be able to provide over fifty undergraduate bachelor’s degrees for traditional and nontraditional students transferring from JCCC to UMKC.

As part of the vision of UMKC is to continue to become actively engaged in our community, the articulation agreement is another step that will provide meaningful community connection. The agreement especially fulfills the goal of Urban Engagement in the Strategic Plan which states that, “The urban mission of UMKC is to engage the Greater Kansas City community in partnerships that foster opportunity, innovation, and sustainable development.”

If you would like to learn more click here for the UMKC External Affairs press release on the articulation agreement ceremony that took place June 10th. Also, see the Articulation Agreements web site where students can find out which classes and degree programs transfer from Johnson Community College, Metropolitan Community College, or Kansas City Kansas Community College to UMKC.

Pervious Concrete Pavement, It Rains, It Pours, and Runs Right Through

2009-07-16T08:57:00.008-05:00

Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. Drive past Brush Creek during a rainstorm and notice one minute it is dry and the next full of raging dirty water. Water probably dirtier than you would like to because the rainfall often overwhelms the sewer system causing a discharge of extra stuff into aptly nicknamed Flush Creek. The extra water comes from our urban environment where impervious roofs, parking lots, and roads prevent moisture from infiltrating in the ground and is rapidly conveyed to our storm sewer system. Well everything would be much better if that water just went through the pavement, right? Luckily that technology has reached Kansas City and is called pervious concrete pavement.

Pervious concrete has the same basic ingredients as your standard sidewalk with the exception of a single-sized coarse aggregate to create pores for the water to flow, imagine a harder less-tasty rice krispy treat. Typical permeability values for pervious concrete range from 500 in./hr to over 2,000 in./hr, values that well exceed any possible storm. The stormwater runs through the pavement and is stored in an aggregate layer beneath until it soaks into the ground or evaporates. Even sites with low permeability clay around Kansas City can experience significant infiltration. Other benefits of pervious concrete include cleaning stormwater through filtration.

The most common concerns for the public are freeze-thaw durability, clogging, and excessive cost. Much of the research in the last couple years has focused on freeze-thaw durability. We now have pervious concrete mixtures more durable than traditional concrete. Although it turns out that no pervious pavement has ever experienced freeze-thaw deterioration. Pervious concrete is a filter and can become clogged if not maintained. Normal routine street sweeping keeps the pores open and if clogging occurs (usually from nearby open soil), permeability can easily be restored by pressure washing and vacuuming. While the pervious concrete itself costs more from additional chemicals in the mixture, overall project can save money by reducing the size of detention ponds and the amount of stormwater pipes required.

On-going research at UMKC's Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering is investigating the mitigation of the urban heat island effect (heat build-up around cities from dark and impervious surfaces) with pervious concrete and improved winter safety from reduced potential for black ice.

The largest pervious concrete installation in the Kansas City area can be seen at Oregon Trail Park in Olathe, KS. For more information on pervious concrete in Kansas City download a podcast discussing pervious concrete here.

-Written by John T. Kevern, Ph.D., LEED AP, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, UMKC

Whiteboard to Boardroom

2009-07-09T09:34:00.006-05:00

New educational systems, new medical devices and new forms of drug delivery. Every day faculty, students and staff at UMKC create, build and assess new innovations that have the potential to change the world. It is widely known that universities with large research expenditures, like MIT and Stanford, use robust infrastructures to transfer technologies to the market in the form of licensing agreements and spin out companies. But what can UMKC do to transfer its rich research to the market where it can do public good?

UMKC has a wealth of resources that work to support new business development. The UMKC Innovation Center, through its Small Business and Technology Development Center, specializes in technology commercialization and provides technical assistance to early stage businesses through one-on-one consulting and training and access to early-stage capital. The Bloch School’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation gives students the skills needed to start and run early-stage companies. UMKC’s Office of Research Services assists faculty in identifying new innovations. At the system level, the University of Missouri is increasing its resources to support technology transfer by adding additional market research and legal expertise to evaluate new ideas.

In addition, UMKC is working within the community to establish Kansas City as a major center for innovation and for building economic growth through the development of entrepreneurial ventures. UMKC’s KCSourceLink connects a network of more than 140 nonprofit organizations across the region including incubators, angel groups and technical assistance providers that support business growth.

Whiteboard to Boardroom (W2B) is a new program that will align and coordinate current internal and external efforts to build businesses from university research. The program joins a partnership of UMKC resources with KU, William Jewell College, Johnson County Community College and local business support groups to explore and develop a technology commercialization process that will maximize the ability of institutions like UMKC to create spin-out companies. The program will start this fall and is expected to generate two to five new companies per year when fully operational. If you would like help starting a business, call the UMKC Innovation Center at 816-235-6063.

-Written by Maria Meyers, Director, UMKC Innovation Center and Network Builder, KCSourceLink

UMKC’s New Web Site: A Collaboration and a Work in Progress

2009-06-30T14:34:00.016-05:00

On Wednesday, July 1, 2009 the UMKC homepage and main audience pages will transform into a vibrant new look and feel. You may have noticed that some departments’ and schools’ web sites have a new layout already. Eventually all of the UMKC sites will have facelifts and updated content. The changes are part of a campus wide effort to improve our image among prospective students, parents, donors and the public and to make the website more useful for UMKC students, faculty, and staff. This week’s launch is the first phase of an ongoing project --every 90 days new layers of the site will be launched.

The new UMKC web site is a result of an across campus collaboration. Representatives from every academic unit, University Communications, Student Affairs, Public Relations, and Information Services have been working since last fall on this critical project. Input has been sought from Dean’s Council, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Advisory Council, Faculty Senate, Student Government Association, and Staff Council. In March, all students, faculty, and staff were asked about the design of the new UMKC homepage in a campus wide survey (see the results). Best practices were researched as were other urban serving universities’ web site design and content. The web site is not only our first impression to future students, future faculty, and future funders; it is a tool we all utilize on daily basis.

See the progress—sites that have already been redesigned:
-Admissions
-Financial Aid and Scholarships
-Human Resources
-Institute for Urban Education
-School of Education

For more information visit: http://www.umkc.edu/website/default.asp

The Green Commute Challenge: Are You Up for It?

2009-06-25T10:31:00.009-05:00

Along with other Kansas City metro organizations, UMKC is participating in the Green Commute Challenge contest. The purpose of the contest is to encourage commuters to use alternative forms for transportation to get to and from work, and to find other ways to reduce miles driven, like telecommuting or staying in for lunch. The Green Commute Challenge is in line with the larger campus goal to reduce the number of cars on campus, and participating in the contest will be fun too.

The contest will run from July 6 through August 28, 2009, and is sponsored by MARC. UMKC participated last year, but we’d like to build on last year, and encourage employees who are commuting green already to get credit for their miles. Those who log in miles receive points, and prizes are awarded to people weekly and monthly. At the end of the challenge, there is an award for the employers having the most points.

Ways to earn 4 points (and become eligible for prizes):
• Carpool
• Vanpool
• Bus
• Bicycle
• Walk
• Telecommute

Ways to earn 1 point:
• Stay in for lunch
• Flex day off (for employees on alternative schedules only – paid time off days do not count)

Learn more about the program at http://www.marc.org/rideshare/challenge/index.htm and be sure to read about the prizes.

If you would like to participate or to find-out more you can contact Jane Allen or Gaile Johnson in Human Resources. The Green Commute Challenge is a way for UMKC get involved and have a presence among the KC metro employers.

UMKC'S New Road Maps Will Help Undergraduate Students Achieve Their Academic Goals

2009-06-18T08:26:00.010-05:00

In April 2009, the Registration & Records Office under the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management partnered with the Provost’s Office, the Academic Units and University Communications to create a new tool called Major Maps. The Major Maps website is designed to provide prospective and currently enrolled undergraduate students with the tools they need to navigate the academic planning process.

Each of the Academic Units developed a four-year degree plan for each of its undergraduate degree programs as an overview of the suggested path of study for students. These templates provide students with a time-line, degree requirements, and other important information on completing a particular degree plan within four years. These major maps can be used by prospective students to decide on a major and by current students to keep their studies on track or to explore other majors.

As the Major Maps page was created, the technical developers spent a great deal of time providing added functionality to the site. The site organizes Major Maps by the catalog year to match the catalog year a student entered a particular program at UMKC and features links to all of the Academic Units on campus. Additionally, users of the site will find degree information sheets by clicking on the individual majors. These degree sheets provide students with a comprehensive overview of admission requirements, prerequisite courses, fast facts, student organizations, faculty information as well as career opportunities related to that degree program.

Additional tools for students, staff and faculty that are available on this new site include information and links to Academic Advising, the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs, Academic Calendar, Registration Quick Guide, Transfer Credit Resources, Career Services, and the new Degree Audit system (DARS). It is hoped that the functions and tools at the Major Maps site will allow students greater flexibility in setting their academic goals, providing the resources to help achieve these goals, and open the path for more developmental advising for students in the Units.

Please take time to visit the Major Maps site. If you have questions or would like to provide feedback on the site contact Doug Swink, Registrar, by emailing swinkd@umkc.edu or by calling 816.235.1215.

-Written by Doug Swink, UMKC Registrar

Nursing School Putting Stimulus Dollars to Work in the Classroom

2009-06-11T08:31:00.011-05:00

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon recently visited the UMKC Hospital Hill Campus and the School of Nursing to announce the “Caring for Missourians” initiative, which will invest $40 million during fiscal year 2010 to help Missouri’s public colleges and universities increase their capacity to train students to work in critical-need health care positions.

By some estimates, we are facing a shortage of nearly 150,000 nurses in this country right now and, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that shortage could reach as high as 500,000 by the year 2025. Missouri's hospitals alone are currently facing a shortage of more than 7 percent, or more than 1,500, of the registered nurses they need to serve their patients.

The UMKC School of Nursing will receive $1.7 million of the Caring for Missourians funds, which will be used in several different areas. We have already begun working to initiate and recruit for our new accelerated BSN program. This program allows students who already have a bachelor’s degree in another discipline to earn their BSN in 18 months. We anticipate accepting students this fall to begin nursing course work Spring Semester 2010.

Earlier this year, the School of Nursing received funding to launch our Rural Nursing Initiative, a program designed to increase the numbers of baccalaureate prepared registered nurses serving populations in rural areas where the nursing shortage is particularly severe. We’ve integrated the Rural Nursing Initiative into our RN-BSN distance education program and are currently enrolling students for the 2009 fall semester.

As we, along with nursing schools across the country, continue to expand our efforts to graduate more nurses, we will need more educators, so we will also be committing some of the Caring for Missourians funds to enhance and expand our nurse educator program. Students can receive the MSN degree with the nurse educator focus or a doctoral degree with additional course work in education. All these programs, MSN Nurse Educator, PhD in Nursing and the Doctorate of Nursing Practice are on-line programs and will prepare nurse educators to employ cutting-edge teaching strategies in didactic, on-line and clinical settings.

All of these programs depend on the School of Nursing’s state-of-the-art distance learning or simulation technology, so we will dedicate a portion of the funds we receive to enhancing and maintaining the school’s clinical simulation center and enhancing our on-line courses and our computer networking capabilities.

This one-time infusion of funding from the Caring for Missourians initiative offers the School of Nursing an immediate and much-welcomed opportunity to implement new programs and further strengthen our current ones. But the nationwide shortage of health care professionals is a long-term problem that will continue to require state funding. We at the School of Nursing, along with our colleagues at the UMKC Hospital Hill Campus, support Governor Nixon’s commitment to find ways to continue state funding in 2011 and beyond.

-Lora Lacey-Haun, RN, PhD, Dean, UMKC School of Nursing

*In picture: Governor Jay Nixon (left), Lora Lacey-Haun, Dean, UMKC School of Nursing (center-right), and Leo E. Morton, UMKC Chancellor (right)

Student Essays Reveal Appreciation for UMKC Libraries’ Faculty and Staff

2009-06-04T15:58:00.007-05:00

UMKC Friends of the Library recently pledged $20,000 over the next 5 years to endow an annual scholarship open to degree seeking students from any school or discipline. For 2009, applicants were asked to submit a 500-1000 word essay responding to the phrase “What UMKC’s Libraries mean to me.” 49 essays were received from undergraduate, professional, graduate, and doctoral students representing ten schools and as many varied disciplines.

The scholarship committee was expecting to hear things about the Libraries as a home away from home, where students meet, study, eat, and sleep before and between classes. They also thought there would be testimonials to how a particular book or database contributed to the student’s education and understanding of a topic. While each of these topics certainly were mentioned in the essays, another, often taken for granted, theme recurred in almost every one of the papers: the helpfulness of UMKC Libraries’ faculty and staff. The following excerpt is from a student who even went so far as to mention several folks by name.

“After finishing my master’s degree, I moved back to Kansas City and decided to get a doctorate with an emphasis in linguistics and history of science through the university’s Interdisciplinary PhD program. The collection in these subjects provided a good starting basis for my research. I soon made friends with the wonderful staff, David Bauer, Darnell Williams and Cynthia Thompson in the interlibrary loan department. Whatever was not in the collection, they could get. I would sometimes put in the most seemingly odd and rare requests, such as a group of color card swatches from 1829, and lo and behold, the wonderful interlibrary loan people would track them down! I can’t express enough admiration for the hard work this staff has done on my behalf. They have not only been great at finding rare history of science and linguistics texts, but have also helped me keep track of the due dates and get things returned or renewed on time. The interlibrary loan staff has really gone beyond the call of duty…For my research into journals, on-line sources and microfilm Diane Hunter, in reference services, has been most helpful. She knows just where to look for things and has always made an extra effort to help me find articles, operate the microfiche machines and generally guide me around all the possible and diverse resources the library has to offer...The Music Media department is also wonderful! I often check out compact discs for my own listening pleasure. The Music Media department has many rare old jazz and classical recordings. Laura Gayle Green has done a great job training the staff there. They always find what I’m looking for. Chuck Haddix at the Marr archives at Miller Nichols also provides a wonderful service. His radio program and rare music collection are world class.” - Tanya Kelley, IPhD student studying English and History

While Dean Bostick and the Friends of the Library board always knew how critical hardworking, user-focused librarians and staff members are to providing high-quality library services, it was both a surprise and treat to learn that our students recognize and appreciate what an asset the Libraries’ staff are to their education. The winning essay can be read in its entirety online at http://friends.library.umkc.edu/.

-Written by Mark Mattison, Advancement Officer, UMKC Libraries

University-Wide Challenge Promotes Student Venture Creation

2009-05-28T08:45:00.006-05:00

The Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI) at UMKC’s Bloch School announced the winners of the 2009 Regnier Family Foundation’s Venture Creation Challenge (VCC) on Monday, April 27. Five winning teams were selected from 24 original UMKC student venture creations.

The Venture Creation Challenge is a university-wide competition that encourages student venture creation, and provides tools and opportunities for students to excel as the next generation of entrepreneurs. Michael Song, executive director for the Institute, expects the challenge will eventually lead to the launching of four to eight new businesses per year. Ultimately, the Institute aims to create 100 exceptionally well-trained entrepreneurs and 10 high-growth ventures every year.

Investors, entrepreneurs and business professionals from across the Kansas City area volunteered to judge this year’s student ventures. The winning teams each received a launch package valued at $15,000 to start their business. The launch packages include placement in IEI’s Student Ventures Program incubator track, along with accounting, legal, capital access and other resources to aid in the businesses’ launch.

This year, students from a variety of disciplines participated in the challenge, including students from the Bloch School, the School of Law and the School of Computing and Engineering. The following teams took top honors for their winning venture concepts:

· Banana Basket – a patent-pending appliance that dramatically extends the life of all types of fresh fruit
· Go Say Hi! – a mobile dating service that utilizes advanced global positioning software to alert members to potential meeting opportunities through their mobile phones
· ChefBurger – a fast-casual dining franchise providing high-quality, chef-designed burgers at a reasonable price
· Lovesick Clothing – an apparel company that focuses on casual tops for men and women which carry a subtle Christian-themed message
· Fun Flotations, LLC – a corporation featuring the INFLOTABLE™, a motorized, social watercraft that allows multiple people to sit in one round flotation device

Congratulations to all students who participated in this year’s challenge – for additional coverage please visit: http://www.bloch.umkc.edu/bloch-news-facts/news-details/index.aspx?nid=108

For information regarding the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s 2010 Venture Creation Challenge please e-mail venturechallenge@umkc.edu or contact Phil Needles at 816-235-6720.

-Written by Victoria Prater, Senior Information Specialist, Bloch School of Business, and Maurine Kierl, University Communications

Service-Learning (or what I learned on my way to the Strategic Plan)

2009-05-21T09:25:00.004-05:00

Service-learning seeks to increase the engagement of UMKC students, faculty, and alumni, with area nonprofits, local governments, schools and neighborhoods. Service-learning is a teaching method which combines community service with academic instruction as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. From the assignment of a project that addresses community needs, students learn from community members and develop leadership skills while practicing theoretical knowledge gained in class. The hyphen in service-learning is not accidental; service-learning combines an effective pedagogy for student success with UMKC’s desire to respond to and partner with Kansas City communities.

Service-learning is an important way that universities contribute to the vitality and life of cities. As such, it is explicit in UMKC’s strategic plan’s goal regarding our urban mission and implicit in the economic development goal. As a high-impact teaching methodology service-learning is also implicit in the goals regarding undergraduate student success, visual and performing arts, and diversity.

Service-learning enhances the educational experience for students by challenging them to connect what they learn with real community issues. This leads to better academic performance, stronger relationships with peers and faculty, and increased participation in campus life. These successes increase student persistence to graduation and student retention. Students value service-learning for the real-world experience, opportunities to build networks and contacts, and an increased feeling of personal success.

Through service-learning, UMKC extends its relationship with Kansas City’s communities. Nonprofits, schools, and local governments value partnering with universities because it expands their reach without substantially increasing costs. Service-learning students bring new energy, ideas, and enthusiasm, as well as specialized skills. Ultimately, service-learning is great for the civic health of communities because it helps cultivate a new generation of caring and experienced citizens, activists, and volunteers.

To capitalize on what we know about student success and alumni engagement, the Service-Learning Program at the Institute for Human Development is:

Building an interactive web portal, Serve 2 Learn, which provides project management support for service-learning and community service and matches community partners with UMKC faculty and students. Soft launch is Spring 2009 with a full launch in Fall 2009. Serve 2 Learn is offered in partnership with FaCET, Provost’s Office, Student Affairs, Office of Community Affairs, the Alumni Association, and Institutional Research and Assessment.
Seeking funding to scale up service-learning supports for faculty and students campus wide, and for community partner organizations. To date, the Service-Learning Program has submitted two Federal grants. If funded, one would bring several innovations to UMKC service-learning such as including alumni and developing a peer mentoring program. The other would build a regional consortium of colleges and universities for service-learning.

A website is being constructed to tell you more about service learning. It will be located at http://www.umkc.edu/servicelearning/ . Check back periodically for more information.

-Written by Alexis Petri and Julie Warm, Research Associates at the UMKC Institute for Human Development

2009 Governor’s Award Recipient: Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) Stoddard

2009-05-18T09:50:00.004-05:00

UMKC Associate Professor of Physics, Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) Stoddard, received the prestigious Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education at a Governor’s Luncheon in Jefferson City, MO on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education is presented annually to an outstanding faculty member from each participating higher education institution in the state of Missouri. Qualifying criteria include demonstrated effective teaching and advising skills, service to the university community, a commitment to high standards of excellence, and success in nurturing student achievement.

Dr. Stoddard has distinguished herself as a truly gifted teacher who is highly deserving of this recognition. Her colleagues and students are enthusiastic in giving her very high ratings for the quality of her teaching, her innovative approaches to course design, and the enthusiasm she brings to the classroom environment. In addition to teaching, she has conducted forefront research in the field of theoretical nuclear physics and her studies have been published in prominent journals in this field. With grants totaling more than a million dollars from external funders such as the National Science Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation, she and her colleagues have developed new instructional practices for both university faculty and high school science teachers. Dr. Stoddard is deeply engaged in improving science education in the urban environment. She works with teachers and scholars in the Kansas City Missouri School District to create more effective teaching and evaluation methods for the benefit of current and future generations of students.

Dr. Stoddard’s reaction to receiving the Governor’s Award is yet another shining example of her excellence as an educator: “Because the award comes from my peers on a campus that has so many great professors whom I admire so much, I feel tremendously humbled and honored to receive it. I always feel lucky to be an educator. Working along with my colleagues here at UMKC is something I truly enjoy, and the importance of serving students and teachers better is something that motivates me every day. Most importantly, many of the achievements for which I received the award I share with my science education research collaborators, and I am grateful for this award as recognition of their efforts as well.”

The Provost Office congratulates Dr. Libby Stoddard for this outstanding achievement.

Nominations for the 2010 Governor’s Award should be submitted to the Provost Office on or before December 31, 2009. For additional information regarding the Governor’s Award, contact Beci Edmundson (edmundsonr@umkc.edu).

-Written by Dr. Ron MacQuarrie, Vice Provost Faculty Affairs

(Photo courtesy UMKC Physics website.)

Putting Learning First

2009-05-13T13:06:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, April 25, 2009 the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Missouri in Kansas City hosted the Greater Kansas City Third Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

Amy Goodburn, Associate Dean for Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of English and Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln, gave the keynote address, "Different Roles, Same Goals: My Journey Towards Scholarly Teaching." Professor Goodburn engaged the audience of fifty teachers from ten area colleges (Avila College, ITT Technical Institute, Johnson County CC, the University of Kansas, U of Missouri—Columbia, Park University, Rockhurst University, the Truman Medical Center, UMKC, and William Jewell) and the Topeka School District in a lively personal narrative about an academic career enlivened by the work of Ernest Boyer and Lee Schulman. She explained how her attitude towards teaching, research, and service was transformed by the 1991 AAHE publication on Teaching Portfolios (Edgerton, Hutchings, Quinlan). After making a convincing case for the direct involvement of teaching faculty in the definition of the administrative structures and processes used to assess and reward teaching, Professor Goodburn led an hour long open conversation about the place of Scholarly Teaching in Higher Education.

In addition to twenty-five posters on subjects including “Writing as a Way to Learn about the Brain,” the “Shared Inquiry Model,” and “Using Graphs to Illustrate the process of Recursion,” breakout sessions during the day demonstrated a number of different aspects of the scholarship of teaching and learning. The sessions emphasized curricular integration and the application of "online social interaction," ways to use student work to provoke SoTL-oriented enquiry, the process of turning research into teaching and vice-versa, Diversity Education as a way of re-defining learning-based scholarship, and classroom strategies that stimulate engaged learning.

During the final, all-group session, “How to Make It Count!,” Professors Bernstein and Goodburn were joined at the podium by Thomas Stroik, Professor of Linguistics and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at UMKC. After Professor Bernstein had re-capped the history of SoTL, emphasizing why it is crucial that we make our scholarly work on teaching and learning public, Professor Stroik questioned the priority given to “Teaching” in too many conversations that are, ostensibly, about “Learning.” Playfully suggesting that we should re-name the discipline the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching, "SOLT," so as to centralize what should count, Stroik challenged the audience to think about how we “learn to learn” and “whose learning counts?” Professor Goodburn concluded the formal presentation by analyzing the word “count,” engaging the audience in deep criticism of how we hierarchize, value and exclude different kinds of knowledge and how we decide what to define as “learning.”

Next year’s symposium will also be hosted by UMKC (April 24, 2010). For details from this year’s symposium please go to http://www.umkc.edu/provost/initiatives/FaCET/SoTL.asp

-Written by Stephen Dilks, FaCET Director, UMKC

UMKC Career Services' Support of Internship Search Process

2009-05-06T08:11:00.006-05:00

One challenge students face during their college career is finding ways to connect real world understanding with what they learn in the classroom. Internships serve as a valuable enhancement to the educational experience and are a key component of student success. Internships also provide students with insight to current trends or issues in their career fields.

Like any employment process, being selected to complete an internship opportunity takes planning, professionalism, and a significant amount of effort. The Career Services office supports students and faculty/staff by coordinating several services and initiatives to help students be successful in the search process.

Career Services manages CareerExec, UMKC’s employment database. With more than 6,000 active student accounts and 4,500 active employer accounts, CareerExec serves as a powerful forum to bring students and employers together. Students may search for internships from all academic disciplines as well as work-study, on-campus jobs, part-time and full-time professional employment. Other features include on-campus interview registration, job and employer searches, and the ability to post and/or build a professional resume that employers may view.

Through individual appointments and classroom presentations/workshops, Career Services also advises students on successful internship search strategies. In fact, we foster several close partnerships with academic departments to support students’ awareness and development of professional approaches to writing an effective resume, perfecting the interview process, and learning how to leverage a network to break into the hidden job market.

Additionally, our office serves as a resource for faculty and staff for general local, national and international employment information. As our economy undergoes change, students need to remain informed of the new and emerging industries/occupations both in the United States and abroad in order to become future leaders within these fields. Growth in healthcare, education, information technology and “green” careers will continue to provide rich opportunities for students to gain valuable experience through internships.

As a centralized Career Services office, we establish and maintain relationships with employers in the Kansas City area to help them meet their recruitment needs. Depending on the employer’s recruitment initiative, we encourage participation in employer fairs, information sessions, information tables, on-campus interviewing and the posting of their opportunities in CareerExec. Additionally, we provide information and guidance to employers who are currently developing an internship program from the ground up.

UMKC’s location provides our students access to outstanding internship opportunities. The Career Services office is committed to fostering collaborative partnerships across campus as well as building upon existing partnerships to prepare our students to conduct a successful internship search, cultivate their professional employment network, and complete a quality internship program. UMKC faculty and staff play a critical role in supporting students as they navigate the internship process and we look forward to working with you to help students enhance their educational experiences and grow professionally.

-Written by Beth D. Medley, Career Services, Interim Director
Find employment opportunities on CareerExec \ Read their Career Blog \ Become their fan on Facebook \ Visit their YouTube channel.

UMKC's Worldwide Classroom

2009-04-29T11:03:00.004-05:00

The world is our classroom, and the International Academic Programs (IAP) Office serves UMKC’s students and faculty by coordinating a variety of international initiatives. These include Study Abroad, Exchange Student partnerships, nationally competitive fellowships, and community outreach.

IAP oversees Study Abroad programs, the extraordinary opportunity enjoyed by an increasing number of UMKC students who elect to live and study in another country for periods of time ranging from a few weeks to a semester or even full academic year. Many of our returning Study Abroad students now participate in a Speakers Bureau, sharing their experiences with groups across campus. Each September we hold a Study Abroad Fair, inviting the entire campus to learn about the many programs that will be offered that year.

IAP administers exchange student agreements with other countries, and oversees those students who come to study for one or two semesters at UMKC. These students soon become valued members of our campus community, contributing to international discussion and understanding.

International partnerships to further student and faculty exchange and promote research collaboration are created through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The IAP office is charged with the responsibility of drafting MOUs which are approved and signed in the Provost’s office. These international partnerships are vital components of UMKC’s outreach and internationalization efforts. The office assists faculty who want to do research and teach abroad, and works with visiting faculty, such as Fulbright Scholars, from other countries.

IAP extends outreach efforts to the campus and the greater Kansas City community as well. Several years ago we initiated a series called Global Conversations as part of the FaCET programming. This is an informal brown bag gathering held several times each semester in which faculty and students come together to discuss topics such as international research, classroom programming, and experiences teaching abroad. The office actively participates in community groups such as the International Relations Council, the Edgar Snow Memorial Fund, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Truman Library Foundation.

Another major function of the IAP is oversight and coordination of UMKC student applications for nationally competitive fellowships including the Fulbright, DAAD, Rhodes, Truman, NSEP-Boren, the Jack Kent Cooke and many other prestigious awards. The office also manages a number of Study Abroad scholarships that assist our students who participate in Study Abroad programs.

The International Academic Programs office is one component of a rich partnership across all disciplines and units on our campus. We work closely with the International Student Affairs Office, the Applied Language Institute, SEARCH, and the Honors Program in our ongoing efforts to strengthen international initiatives at UMKC.

-Written by Linna Place, Ph.D., Interim Director, International Academic Programs

University of Missouri Enhances Security of Social Security Numbers

2009-04-27T08:14:00.000-05:00

COLUMBIA — April 14, 2009 — The University of Missouri is enhancing its security policies by storing Social Security Numbers (SSNs) that are mandatory for business purposes in a centralized database and purging those that are unnecessary.

The ultimate goal of the initiative is that SSN will only be collected by authorized areas. Printed materials will be imaged and shredded. When SSNs cannot be removed, they will be physically secured with restricted access.

The University of Missouri Division of Information Technology (IT) will work with those offices still needing to collect Social Security Numbers to store them in the centralized database. This database generates an Alternate Identification (AltID) number for application use. AltID looks and acts like a SSN, but without the risk of identity theft. AltID is translated back into a SSN to fulfill mandatory reporting requirements.

During this university-wide initiative, faculty and staff are reviewing business practices concerning the collection, use, and storage of SSNs to determine if every instance has a mandatory function. The University of Missouri Division of IT staff succeeded in securing SSNs and purging those that are unnecessary from several key data repositories, including Alumni at all four campuses; Single Sign-On (SSO); Remedy Help Desk; the Vendor Registration application used by Procurement; the Minority Business Development Office; and Design and Construction. SSN use in the PeopleSoft systems is currently under review.

According to Dr. Gary Allen, Vice President for Information Technology, “protecting the personal information of our employees, students, business associates, and friends is a top-most priority for the university. This project will take everyone’s cooperation.”

Contact your Campus Information Security Officer to register your applications that use SSNs and to discuss strategies to secure your data.

For more information on the SSN Project please visit http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/is/.

UMKC Leads Research Efforts in the Internet of the Future

2009-04-22T13:40:00.013-05:00

Are we ready for the future? More specifically, are we ready for what lies ahead in the future in networking technology? Our society has come a long way in communication technology in the past two hundred years; first it was telegraphy, invented in the first half of 19th century, then the telephony, invented in the second half of 19th century, and then the Internet, almost a hundred years later, in the second half of the 20th century. Each technology has pushed the boundary on the mode and what we can communication over a long distance. So, are we ready for the future?

As great as the Internet is in changing how we communicate, the fundamental technology is now about forty years old. It was developed as an experimental concept, which originally connected only academic institutions. The early applications on the Internet were file transfer, remote terminal login service, and email. With the introduction of the Web in the early 1990s, the entire picture of the Internet changed as its popularity grew almost overnight.

There are many fundamental issues that were not part of the original design of the Internet. For example, consider security -- this is only an afterthought as problems arose. Secondly, can we continue to send information efficiently and quickly if the number of connected devices grows exponentially, and so on. While we're tempted to make incremental improvement to the Internet's initial basic concept, it is also important to re-think everything from ground-up if we were to design a network of the future.

National Science Foundation has recognized the need for such a new and fresh thinking so that it is time to envision and put the fundamental concepts together on how the network of the future is going to be. Among its new initiatives includes the GENI (Global Environment for Network Innovations) program . As a part of this effort, UMKC is one of the first set of institutions nation-wide funded by the GENI Phase-One project that was announced in the summer of 2008. Noteworthy is that UMKC is the only public university in the state of Missouri that was funded in the GENI Phase one funding. UMKC's project "GpENI" (Great Plains Environment for Network Innovation) is a partnership among four institutions: University of Kansas, UMKC, Kansas State University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

So, what is GpENI? GpENI is a three-year project that aims to create a new experimental networking testbed connecting these four institutions that will provide a dedicated environment for networking scientists to try out new concepts for networks of the future. It may be noted that GpENI is one of the only two experimental tesbeds funded in the first phase of GENI funding. The basic part of GpENI experimental testbed is recently connected and now the excitement begins. In particular, UMKC's effort in this project is to lead and explore programmable router functionalities so that routing mechanisms in the core of the network of the future can be thought through in a number of new and innovative ways. UMKC's researchers involved in this project are Deep Medhi (Professor, Computer Science & Electrical Engineering Department, who heads the Networking & Telecommunications Research Lab at UMKC) as principal investigator and Baek-Young Choi (Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Electrical Engineering Department) as co-investigator. UMKC maintains a project page for its GpENI effort: http://NeTReL.umkc.edu/gpeni-umkc.html. It is also worth noting that Deep Medhi was one of the leads in organizing a US-Japan Future Networks Workshop held last fall in California that was supported by the National Science Foundation; he'll also serve as the scientific program co-chair of an International Workshop on FutureNet to be held in Hawaii in December 2009.

UMKC's GpENI effort has a far reaching goal. It plans to connect international institutions to its testbed in the near future as well as many US institutions. Stay tuned!

-Written by Deep Medhi, Ph.D., Professor, Computer Science & Electrical Engineering Department

In picture UMKC team members: (front) Ramkumar Cherukuri, Baek-Young Choi, Xuan Liu; (back) Deep Medhi and Haiyang Qian [not in picture - Can Kanli & Jim Schonemann]

UMKC’S CIVIL ENGINEERING PROGRAM GARNERS MAJOR AWARD

2009-04-15T09:11:00.015-05:00

NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying) announced that the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Florida A&M University–Florida State University was the $25,000 grand prize winner of the 2009 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. NCEES is the body which controls the licensing exams for engineers.

Additionally, a second tier of five projects were awarded $7,500, one of which was our own civil engineering capstone design team. The second tier included: University of Missouri–Kansas City, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering; University of Arizona, Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics; Seattle University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Department of Civil Engineering; and, Virginia Tech, Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. NCEES will travel to present the award to UMKC on April 30, 2009.

The NCEES Engineering Award recognizes engineering programs that demonstrate meaningful partnerships between professional engineers and students. All EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs were invited to enter projects that demonstrated such a partnership.

UMKC’s award-winning civil engineering capstone class grew out of campus discussions about service-learning in 2002. Deb O’Bannon, Ph.D., P.E. (associate professor of civil engineering) approached the Kansas City Department of Public Works to see if they had any right-sized projects appropriate for civil engineering seniors. “Right-sized” is a challenge for civil engineering: civil engineers usually design large, civic structures that are far too large and complex for students. At that time, Public Works had a backlog of small projects suitable for UMKC seniors. Tom Kimes, P.E. (UMKC alumnus, 1987) was given release time from the City to help the students negotiate the design project. The projects (2003-present) have been two-lane, traffic-bearing bridge replace-ment projects over water in Kansas City, MO. These small projects bring a great deal of complexity for the students, which include managing construction within a real site, easements and rights-of-way, traffic, environmental permitting, hydrology and bridge hydraulics.

The participation of Kimes, now working at HDR, and Erich Schmitz of TranSystems (UMKC alumnus, 2005), is essential to the success of the civil capstone class. Kimes and Schmitz, both adjunct professors, have the experience of producing engineering designs and O’Bannon manages the class and its educational outcomes. Kimes, Schmitz and O’Bannon have presented the effectiveness of this capstone experience on preparing our students for the profession at several national conferences, and wrote an invited paper for a new public works journal in 2008. NCEES has recognized our program for this significant and sustainable teamwork between industry practitioners, the municipality and the university which provides a meaningful educational experience for our students.

-Written by Deb O’Bannon, Ph.D., P.E, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering

*Pictures: Deb O'Bannon (1st on left), Thomas Kimes (on right side), and Erich Schmitz (2nd on left)

Discover SEARCH

2009-04-08T14:46:00.023-05:00

The first Students Engaged in Artistic and Academic Research (SEARCH) event of the academic year is the Kick-Off event for eager students to meet with faculty and student alumni of the program. They share enthusiasm for inquiry and learn about research opportunities and training offered through SEARCH. The Kick-Off is followed by a “Brain-Storming” session where students at discipline specific round-tables speak with faculty mentors and other students about ideas for projects and how to go about finding a mentor. Students can also get help finding a mentor at the SEARCH web-site or by talking to the SEARCH director, Dr. Jim Murowchick. Next a workshop on “How to Write a Proposal” helps students to promote their project, develop a budget, and understand the proposal review process, including the view from the reviewer’s perspective. In the Spring Semester, workshops include presentations like, "Using the UMKC Libraries’ Research Tools." Leading up to the SEARCH Symposium, workshops are offered on writing an informational Abstract, Preparing a Poster Presentation, giving a PowerPoint-Based Oral Presentation, and importantly, what to expect during judging at the Symposium. The culmination of the year is the upcoming 9th Annual Symposium!

The 9th Annual SEARCH Symposium is Friday, April 17, in Pierson Auditorium. This year’s symposium exhibits the results of academic and creative endeavors of 51 UMKC undergraduate students supported by their dedicated faculty mentors. UMKC students, faculty and staff, student family members, and the general public are invited to come and support the researchers’ accomplishments and to be part of the celebration. The best times to view the poster and model displays and to listen to the reading of papers are 10 am-2 pm.

Any student in any discipline who has completed or is working on an undergraduate research project, whether funded by SEARCH or not, was encouraged to present at the Symposium. The projects will be described in an Abstracts volume; posters and models will be displayed, and papers will be read. The presentations will be judged by faculty members and local professionals, and winners in each category will receive a certificate and a prize. The Awards Ceremony begins at 4:00 pm with a presentation by Dr. Bibie Chronwall on “SEARCH: From Project to Profession” highlighting SEARCH alumni, followed by the announcement of the award winners.

SEARCH also organizes UMKC's participation in the UM System Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol

(URD@C). Student Research Ambassadors are selected for this special honor from candidates nominated by faculty mentors. Students from all four UM campuses

present their research to state legislators and staff members in a 1-day poster session in the capitol’s Rotunda in Jefferson City. The event provides a showcase for the cutting-edge research in all disciplines being conducted by undergraduates at Missouri’s research university. Emphasis is placed on projects that benefit the people and state of Missouri, including the arts, engineering, sciences, health fields, economics, urban planning, and many others. Because space is limited, up to 10 students may be selected from each campus.

Undergraduate research experiences available at UMKC have proven to be valuable educational experiences for students. Any student at UMKC who is interested, should visit the SEARCH website (http://www.umkc.edu/searchsite) or contact Dr. Murowchick (SEARCH@umkc.edu ).

-Written by Bibie Chronwall and Jim Murowchick

Pharmacy School Program Receives National Award for Community Service

2009-04-01T09:47:00.007-05:00

The UMKC School of Pharmacy was recently selected to receive the “Student Community Engaged Service Award” by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). UMKC was one of only four pharmacy schools in the nation to receive this inaugural award recognizing student-led community engagement projects. Sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals, this annual award program is intended to encourage pharmacy students and faculty to design and build programs of community-engaged service learning, deliver consumer education about medication use, expand access to affordable medications and improve the public’s health.

The School of Pharmacy program selected for this honor is the “Patient Assistance Program” (PAP) operating out of the Jackson County Free Health Clinic in Independence, MO. The program has been in operation for over eight years and serves a diverse indigent patient population representing over 20 zip codes in the Kansas City metro area. The program provides assistance to low income patients who would otherwise go without needed medications to manage their chronic illnesses. Volunteer students at the clinic are responsible for obtaining the patient’s medical history and helping them to complete the proper paperwork for medication assistance. Since the program’s inception, over 350 patients have received more than $2,000,000 worth of medication donated by pharmaceutical suppliers (as of December 2007). Student pharmacist volunteers train junior pharmacy students how to interact with patients, interpret medical records, make therapeutic substitutions, practice troubleshooting skills, and integrate with other health professionals.

UMKC School of Pharmacy faculty advisor, Cameron Lindsey, Pharm.D., and pharmacy student/team leader Kristen Fish (Class of 2010) joined Dean Robert Piepho on February 23rd at the AACP Interim Meeting in Arlington, VA for the awards presentation. Other student members of the project included Michelle Campbell, Kara Miller, Danielle Nagel and Cassie Peters. AACP presented a check to UMKC for $10,000 to be used for expansion of the project and an additional stipend of $5,000 for student program and travel support.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is a national organization whose mission is to serve the 105 pharmacy schools in the United States and their faculties by acting as their advocate on a national level.

-Written by Jana Boschert, Director of Alumni & Development, UMKC School of Pharmacy

In picture: Kristin Fish, Pharmacy Student (left) and Dr. Cameron Lindsey (right)

University of Missouri Enhances Security of Social Security Numbers

2009-03-30T10:06:00.003-05:00

COLUMBIA — March 16, 2009 — It may be only March, but the university is already in the midst of a system-wide spring cleaning—of Social Security numbers. The project, which takes place on all four campuses, University of Missouri Health Care, Extension and UM system, will replace all Social Security numbers necessary to UM business with alternate identification numbers and delete all those unnecessary.

“The university takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard the personal information and identity of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, retirees, friends and donors” said UM President Gary Forsee.

Forsee went on to say, “This project will go a long way toward protecting the security and personal identity of our associates.”

A Division of Information Technology team has been created to initiate the process of securing Social Security numbers in a centralized database and replacing them with alternate identification numbers. Social Security numbers that are no longer necessary will be deleted to prevent exposure to outside sources. This is a huge project and will require the cooperation of everyone across the entire system.

What can you do?Begin by searching your electronic and paper files for Social Security numbers and deleting or shredding those that are no longer necessary.
Additional information can be found at https://doit.sharepoint.missouri.edu/sysops/public/SSNProject.

UM system will keep you informed of this project as it progress.

The Development of a Faculty Writing Group at UMKC’s School of Education

2009-03-18T09:05:00.008-05:00

Dr. Juan Carlos González and Dr. Jennifer Friend are assistant professors in their fourth year in the Urban Leadership and Policy Studies in Education Division in the School of Education. One of the School of Education’s faculty induction and retention practices is to assign mentors to all tenure-track faculty. The importance of publication is communicated by mentors as a cornerstone of the evaluation and promotion process, however there is no formal structure for providing regular feedback for mentees’ writing. The idea to form a faculty writing group came about during an informal conversation between Drs. González and Friend at the beginning of their first semester at UMKC. As young scholars and first-year professors, the formation of a writing group led to the creation of a monthly program to advance faculty writing through collaborative critique.

The framework for the monthly faculty writing group meetings involved any interested faculty member attending with five copies of five pages of writing. The writing was reviewed in small groups during a constructive feedback conversation, and the author received the copies back with commentary. As the faculty writing group evolved, Drs. González and Friend decided to write about the experience. They presented a paper at the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference that was well-received. Shortly afterward, they contacted Academe about the possibility of publishing the paper. The editors were excited and said this was exactly the type of article that was popular among their readers. The revised paper was shared with the Faculty Writing Group during a collaborative critique session, and feedback informed the revision process prior to publication in Academe.

Time spent together during faculty writing group sessions has fostered greater collegiality and the formation of friendships among the regular participants. Throughout this process, senior faculty members have collaborated alongside junior faculty members. Faculty Writing Group participants engaged in multiple writing, learning, and critique activities that have been instrumental in the growth of junior faculty into scholars, and in the contributions of senior faculty to the writing process and understanding the politics of publication.

The co-facilitators look forward to continued growth of the Faculty Writing Group. Last year some meetings were held at the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET) at Miller Nichols Library, and included a group of faculty from multiple disciplines across campus. The Faculty Writing Group currently holds monthly meetings at the School of Education, and any interested faculty member is invited to attend. Contact Dr. Friend for more information: friendji@umkc.edu 816.235.2550

The article by Drs. Friend and González is available in the January-February 2009 issue of Academe (read it here).

NEW WEB SITE DESIGN

2009-03-11T08:38:00.003-05:00

UMKC is redesigning its web site and is looking for feedback from you – the user!

To provide your feedback visit www.umkc.edu/website, starting March 16, 2009. The survey only takes 5 minutes or less to complete.

The site presents two design ideas for review. We want and appreciate your honest and constructive critique about the designs and the navigation.

The web site designs will be up for one week, ending on Sunday, March 22, 2009. After this time, the feedback will be used to provide direction for the final web site design.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In addition to the online feedback, information has been gathered from governing groups across campus, including the Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Council, Student Government Association, Faculty Senate and the Dean’s Council.

Research efforts also included:

1. Focus group sessions with future students and their parents from the Kansas City metropolitan region.

2. Review of peer institution’s web sites.

3. Web industry research for user expectations and behaviors, as well as best practices.

After you have taken the survey, continue to use the web site to keep informed of the project’s progress.

Thank you for your time and participation.

- UMKC Web Site Redesign Team

Curators’ Professorships and Curators’ Teaching Professorships

2009-03-04T09:38:00.012-06:00

A Curators’ Professorship is the highest and most prestigious academic rank awarded by the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri. It is awarded to a select few “outstanding scholars with established reputations.” Each Curators’ Professor becomes a resource of the University and is expected to contribute to the entire University through such teaching, scholarship, service and outreach activities. Appointments to these prestigious positions are for five-years, and are renewable at the discretion of the Chancellor.

Appointments to Curators’ Professorships are made by the University of Missouri Board of Curators’ on the recommendation of the Chancellor. Faculty members and deans may nominate faculty members for these appointments by sending the provost a recommendation and a portfolio containing a narrative of nominee’s accomplishments, the nominee’s curriculum vitae, letters from nominators, and testimonial letters from UMKC peers and others. In assessing the nominations, the Provost solicits the advice of a review committee that evaluates the portfolios. Following the review, the provost sends his/her recommendations to the Chancellor. If approved, the Chancellor forwards a recommendation and the portfolio to the President of the UM System who, if approving, presents the candidate for approval by the Board of Curators. Appointment to a Curators’ Professorship includes a salary stipend and support for creative/research activities. Policies on this appointment are available here.

A current list of active UMKC Curators’ Professors appears below, including name, title, academic unit, and year of appointment.

Felicia H. Londré, Curators’ Professor, A&S Department of Theater (1987)
Wai-Yim Ching, Curators’ Professor, A&S Department of Physics (1988)
George J. Thomas, Curators’ Professor, School of Biological Sciences (1988)
J. David Eick, Curators’ Professor, School of Dentistry (1989)
Bruce Bubacz, Distinguished Teaching Professor, A&S Department of Philosophy (1998)
James Mobberley, Curators’ Professor, Conservatory of Music (1999)
Max Skidmore, Curators’ Professor, A&S Department of Political Science (1999)
David Atkinson, Distinguished Teaching Professor, A&S Department of Political Science (1999)
Yanching (Jerry) Jean, Curators’ Professor, A&S Department of Chemistry (2002)
Ashim Mitra, Curators’ Professor, School of Pharmacy (2002)
Charles Wurrey, Distinguished Teaching Professor, A&S Department of Chemistry (2002)
Joan Dean, Distinguished Teaching Professor, A&S Department of English (2003)
James Durig, Curators’ Professor, A&S Department of Chemistry (2003)
Carla Klausner, Distinguished Teaching Professor, A&S Department of History (2004)
Khosrow Sohraby, Curators’ Professor, School of Computing and Engineering (2004)
Paulette Spencer, Curators’ Professor, School of Dentistry (2004)
Lynda Bonewald, Curators’ Professor, School of Dentistry (2005)
Nancy Levit, Curators’ Professor, School of Law (2005)
Joan Gallos, Curators’ Teaching Professor, Bloch School of Business, Administration and Finance (2008)

-Written by Ronald MacQuarrie, Vice Provost, and Rebecca Edmundson, Faculty Affairs Specialist

Celebrating Accomplishments

2009-03-02T10:43:00.005-06:00

Bibie Chronwall, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Faculty Development, is retiring at the end of March following 20+ years of service to UMKC.

On Monday, March 16th we will be celebrating her accomplishments and tenure at UMKC. In 1988, Dr. Chronwall began her work at UMKC as an Associate Professor of cell biology and biophysics and has continued to teach courses throughout her career. She was Assistant Dean and Director of Curriculum and Undergraduate Programs in the School of Biological Sciences and since 2003 has served as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Having published nearly 100 scientific papers and edited three books, gained support through grants topping over $1,000,000, she is well respected for her accomplishments. You can see her most recent efforts in the New Faculty Teaching Scholars program, the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET), and the Students Engaged in Artistic and Academic Research (SEARCH) program.

Please join us in celebrating Bibie Chronwall’s retirement at the following event provided by faculty & staff donations:

Ice Cream Social
Honoring Dr. Bibie Chronwall
Monday, March 16, 2009
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Plaza Room, Administrative Center

You are encouraged to share your farewell remarks and favorite Bibie memories by clicking on the comments link below. Or email your remarks/memories (including photographs) to Beci Edmundson for compilation and presentation to Bibie at the party. There will also be a memory book at the party for everyone sign or write comments for Bibie.

Academic Affairs looks forward to sharing our appreciation for Bibie Chronwall’s legacy of work at UMKC with you on the 16th, and hope to see you there.

Promotion & Tenure Information Sessions

2009-02-25T08:48:00.006-06:00

The Provost Office has scheduled the following open Promotion & Tenure Information Sessions at the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET, located in the Miller Nichols Library) for faculty members interested in the promotion and tenure process.

These annual sessions provide opportunities for faculty members to learn about the P&T process and ask questions about how to prepare for it. Topics covered in the recent Hospital Hill P&T Info Session included portfolio preparation (electronic and hard-copy), how to select external evaluators, how mid-tenure reviews and annual evaluations assist in P&T preparation, how portfolios are reviewed, and a quick review of the 2009-2010 P&T calendar/timeline.

Sessions are open to all Faculty members interested in the promotion and/or tenure process, and will highlight the upcoming 2009-2010 review period. Scheduled over the lunch hour, all attendees are welcome to bring and eat their lunch during the session. Hosted by Dr. Ronald MacQuarrie, Vice Provost

Monday, March 16, 2009 Noon – 1:30 pm

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 Noon – 1:30 pm

Watch Video by UMKC Student on PBS

2009-02-18T16:17:00.002-06:00

Jordan Kerfeld's documentary on the Marr Sound Archives will air on PBS, Thursday, February 19th at 7:50PM. See his blog to learn more.

Faculty and Students Receive National Recognition for Service

2009-02-18T08:19:00.007-06:00

Congratulations to the UMKC faculty and students who have been actively engaged in providing national and community service!! The University of Missouri Kansas City was recognized at the American Council on Education (ACE) annual meeting for receiving a Presidential Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service and for being part of The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Provost Hackett received the award on behalf of the university during the ACE meeting in Washington, D.C. The University of Missouri Kansas City was one of the six 2008 Presidential Award Winners, which included California State University – Fresno, Emory University, Michigan State University, Duke University and Brookhaven College. (Read more about the award here.)

As part of the national recognition for UMKC, Dr. Jacob Wagner, Assistant Professor, Architecture, Urban Planning and Design, participated in a panel presentation as an example of the work that is being done by UMKC faculty and students at the national and local community level. Other panelists from Cal State Fresno, Emory, Michigan State, Duke and Brookhaven provided examples of initiatives from their institutions which were the basis for receiving this national recognition. Dr. Wagner and the other panelists discussed the importance of this work for the community and the significant learning experience it is for our students. Panelists also discussed how this work was imbedded in the work of university faculty. A lively discussion with the panelists and the audience represented the energy found in doing this very important community work.

Many times this type of faculty work and student learning goes unnoticed by the university community and the local/national community. NOT TODAY!!! Thank you Dr. Wagner for your excellent presentation on behalf of UMKC and thank you to all of the UMKC faculty and students who continue to work and learn by using service learning as an engaging pedagogy and for doing volunteer work in our local and national communities.

-Written by Cindy Pemberton, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

If you would like to read more about Cindy see our December 31st, 2008 post.

Impressive Activities and Intellectual Resources

2009-02-11T08:31:00.004-06:00

One of the most interesting and rewarding features of my new position as Interim Vice Provost for Research is the many opportunities for me to meet and interact with the UMKC community.

Some interactions are new, as my current duties take me to places and people on campus that, even after almost 20 years at UMKC, I had never been exposed to. One example is the Innovation Center and its Director, Maria Meyers. This Center at 4747 Troost operates with the Bloch School of Business and Public Administration to aid entrepreneurial and technological transfer activities in the community. Maria is chair of the Economic Development Strategic Planning Committee and is using her expertise to help derive plans to enhance the economic well being of the entire Kansas City area using the intellectual resources of the UMKC community. Another of Maria's activities is KCSourceLink which helps small businesses connect to the technical, educational, financial and marketing resources they need. This initiative has spread to the entire state of Missouri as MOSourceLink, which launched last September with 221 Resource Partners and is being extended nationally as the U.S.SourceLink network.

Some interactions are old, such as my renewed acquaintance with Dr. Betty Drees, Dean of the UMKC School of Medicine. Betty has been remarkably successful in enhancing the research stature of the School. An impressive group of faculty has been recruited, including the recent additions of Dr. William Lafferty, the Hicklin Missouri Endowed Chair , and Dr. Peter Koulen, the Sabates Missouri Endowed Chair. Both are tremendous assets for UMKC and for the Kansas City community. Dr. Lafferty stated in his University of Washington Website: "I believe that there are enormous opportunities to improve health. Most are based on ameliorating social problems such as poverty, racism, and violence. The greatest value from medical practice will come when all people have equal access to high quality primary care.” And Dean Drees said of Dr. Koulen “Dr. Koulen is an outstanding scientist, and his research leadership will allow the Vision Research Center to pursue its mission of understanding and preventing diseases that cause blindness. This is the type of research that translates new discoveries into improved health and well being in our community.”

These are only a few examples of the impressive activities and intellectual resources which UMKC brings to the community as part of its Mission as Kansas City's University.

-Written by William T. Morgan, Ph.D. , Interim Vice Provost for Research

If you would like to read more from Bill see our December 31, 2008 post.

The Latest on Accreditation

2009-02-04T08:30:00.016-06:00

As many of you are aware, UMKC is currently in the process of preparing a self-study report to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for our 10-year reaccreditation. This effort has been ongoing since early 2007, and is on schedule for completion. The HLC site team visit is scheduled for October 12-14, 2009.

The Accreditation Steering Committee, and the five subcommittees representing the five Criteria for Accreditation, are composed of faculty from all of the academic units, as well as staff members from all administrative departments. In fact, our new Chancellor, Leo Morton, as well as his Chief of Staff, Dr. Margaret Brommelsiek, both strongly support the accreditation effort and serve as Co-Chairs of Criterion Five Committee (Engagement and Service).

At this writing, the first drafts of most of the Criterion chapters have been received by the 3-member Edit Team, which was drawn from members of the Steering Committee. The Edit Team is in the process of reviewing the initial drafts for compliance with HLC Criterion requirements, as well as general editorial style criteria. The next step in the process is for the Edit Team to return the chapter drafts to the five Criterion Committees, with requests for additional “Examples of Evidence” and/or suggestions for editorial fine-tuning. After approval of all chapters by the Edit Team, the report will go to the full Steering Committee for review.

Concurrently, the electronic Resource Room is being populated with the hundreds of documents required by HLC regulations to support the self-study report, as well as to confirm our adherence to HLC guidelines for “good practice.” Many of the documents are available for viewing by the general UMKC community at the Resource Room link. A physical Resource Room will be created prior to the site team visit; it will contain hard copies of the self-study report, along with key documents cited in the report, and computer terminals for all of the anticipated site team members.

Along with the research and documentation needed to create the self-study report, the Steering Committee has been utilizing various media in an effort to inform the UMKC community about the accreditation process. Informational letters and postcards were sent to faculty, staff and students in 2007. In 2008, bookmarks were printed which emphasize the University’s Mission Statement and the importance of accreditation; these bookmarks are being distributed each semester to the UMKC community through the academic departments, as well as the University Libraries and Bookstores. Recently, Chancellor Leo Morton recorded a video in which he emphasized the importance of accreditation and the ways in which the Core Components, as defined by the HLC, are intrinsically tied to the University’s four-part Mission.

When the self-study is completed, it will be shared with the entire UMKC community; feedback will be requested through a link on the accreditation website. It is anticipated that this will occur toward the end of this semester, which will allow time for corrections or changes to the report prior to our self-imposed deadline for printing in early summer. You may address any questions or concerns regarding the accreditation process to Dr. Max Skidmore, Steering Committee Chair (skidmorem@umkc.edu) or to Teresa Crew, Coordinator for Accreditation (crewt@umkc.edu).

-Written by Teresa Crew, Coordinator for Accreditation

If you would like to read more about UMKC Accreditation see our October 28th, 2008 post.

Rankings

2009-01-28T08:24:00.008-06:00

College rankings are extremely popular these days. In a society fascinated with top-10 lists, it makes perfect sense people would want to know which educational institutions are the “best.” Thus, there are now an abundance of college ranking lists available for potential college students, and their parents, to review to help determine where they should apply to go to college. Unfortunately, there are no completely objective college ranking systems, and though they might be inherently appealing, they can also be confusing because publishers use vastly different criteria, calculations, and weights when determining academic status.

Like most other academic institutions, UMKC’s administrators have been examining where the University resides in several national rankings. More specifically, three ranking systems have been reviewed in detail: the U.S. News and World Report rankings, the Forbes.com rankings, and the Center for Measuring University Performance rankings. These ranking systems cover a wide range of data metrics from entering student characteristics to graduation rates to the quality of faculty measured by research productivity and awards.

In recent weeks, the Provost has been sharing detailed information about these rankings with various groups across the University, including the Strategic Planning Committee, the UMKC Trustees, and the Deans’ Council. The main focus of these presentations has not been on the rankings themselves, but rather on the metrics being utilized and, where appropriate, on the areas UMKC needs to focus on to improve the quality of the education and experiences provided at the university. This information was intended to serve as a starting point for moving forward strategically to provide the best possible education to UMKC’s students.

Individuals interested in reviewing the Provost’s presentation are encouraged to go to the strategic planning website and click on College Ranking Metrics – Where Does UMKC Fit in the Rankings.

-Written by Larry Bunce, Ph.D., Director of Institutional Research

Instructional Technology Conference

2009-01-21T09:03:00.003-06:00

The UMKC Information Access - Instructional Technology Services department held its first Instructional Technology Conference this month. Faculty members were given the opportunity to collaborate across schools and to increase their knowledge and experience with the latest online learning technologies. The 2-½ day conference provided hands-on technology training sessions and workshops provided by faculty members who demonstrated their experiences with online learning. Some of the topics included virtual classrooms, coursecasting, improving departmental communication and implementing authentic tasks in web-based learning in addition to blogs, voice tools and online assessment.

We would like to thank the following UM System faculty members for presenting at the conference:
· Keynote Speaker: Robert Keel, Professor-UMSL Department of Sociology
· Cindy Amyot, Professor/Director of Distance Education & Faculty Development-UMKC School of Dentistry
· Kim Bray, RDH MS, Professor & Director-UMKC School of Dentistry, Division of Dental Hygiene
· Laura Gayle Green, MA MLS, Librarian IV, Head of Music/Media Library-UMKC Miller Nichols Library
· Molly Mead, Coordinator of Information Technology, UMKC School of Education
· Rebecca Power, Reference Librarian-UMKC Miller Nichols Library
· Robert Riggs, Lecturer-UMKC College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Physics
· Donna Russell, Assistant Professor of Learning Technologies, Educational Psychology and Curriculum and Instructional Leadership-UMKC School of Education

Due to positive feedback and a high demand for the first conference, a second conference is being planned at this time. An announcement will be sent through the Information for UMKC Blackboard Instructors Blackboard site in the near future with details about the next conference.

-Written by Erica Schurter, Instructional Technology Services

Renaming Hospital Hill

2009-01-14T10:23:00.006-06:00

Last fall a list of issues was sent by the Hospital Hill faculty and staff [see the post here]. One of the issues was a proposed name change for the Hospital Hill Campus that would more clearly reflect UMKC’s presence and mission. Hospital Hill is a location, but does not say anything about what we do there. Out of preliminary discussions a proposal has emerged to change the name of the campus to “The UMKC Health Sciences Campus at Hospital Hill.”

The process to complete the official naming involves a wide campus distribution of the proposed name with opportunity for discussion and feedback. We would like to hear from you about this issue. Here is some of the feedback we have received so far.

Many at UMKC support the name change and like the new name because it uses wording that not only indicates the location but also reflects all the schools on the campus (Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) and their educational focus.

Some think the name (UMKCHSCHH) is too long and cumbersome. They proposed:
“Health Sciences Campus”
“UMKC Health Sciences”
“UMKC Health Sciences Campus”
“UMKC Health Sciences Center”
“UMKC Bio-Health Campus”
“Allied Health Center”

Others suggested “Hospital Hill Health Sciences Campus at UMKC” or “UMKC Health and Biomedical Sciences Campus”

Some have asked if this new name reflects Children’s Mercy and Truman Hospital as part of the campus.

Some are concerned about financial impact of a name change and wonder if this is a priority for UMKC in light of the current budget cut expectations.

We invite you to send your comments on the proposed name change. Just click on the “comments” link below. We ask you to reply by January 30th.

New Faces for the New Year

2008-12-31T08:32:00.011-06:00

For the New Year, we wanted to introduce the new people in our office: Interim Vice Provost for Research William Morgan, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Cindy Pemberton, and Faculty Affairs Specialist Rebecca Edmundson. We asked them to talk about their previous work experience and their new positions, and here are their responses:

William Morgan (Bill)
I came to Kansas City in 1989 from the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans to join the newly founded School of Biological Sciences at UMKC. I was attracted by the fact that I could continue my research but also expand my interactions with undergraduate and graduate students. Currently I am Professor Emeritus in the School and continue to do some teaching and research as well as serving on review groups for the National Institutes of Health and the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

I was very excited when Provost Hackett offered me the opportunity to serve as Interim Vice Provost for Research. The research activities at UMKC have been increasing, and the future prospects are promising. It is often not fully appreciated how important a role the personnel of the Research Office have in providing efficient and positive support for the researchers at UMKC, and I am committed to continuing the past excellent service of the office. I am also committed to exploring ways to improve operations and enhance the resources available for research at UMKC. The financial circumstances are far from ideal, but that is no excuse for not seeking improvements now and planning for the future. Finally, this position enables me to refresh and expand my acquaintances with colleagues here at UMKC as well as to interact with researchers in the entire Kansas City area. I have already met with many old friends and had the chance to make some new ones.

We all face challenges for 2009 and beyond. I believe that given the strong leadership of Chancellor Morton and Provost Hackett, and given the hard work and determination of everyone at UMKC to excel, we will emerge from these hard times a better university and a stronger research community. I am eager to get on with it.

Cindy Pemberton
I have recently returned to the University of Missouri – Kansas City faculty after spending the last 8 years at Missouri State University. While at Missouri State University, I served as the Dean of the College of Health and Human Services, an American Council on Education Fellow and in the Provost’s office leading the development of the university student success initiatives and overseeing several aspects of student academic support services. I am currently serving as the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and serving as the co-chair of the strategic planning subcommittee on Undergraduate Programs/Student Success. The university has made a commitment to expanding our undergraduate programs and to improving the success of our students, which I enthusiastically support! My immediate primary responsibilities will be associated with working to enhance and to expand our undergraduate programs, while continuing to facilitate the ongoing work in academic affairs. I am looking forward to working with Chancellor Morton, Executive Vice Chancellor/Provost Hackett, the faculty, the students and the staff in pursuing excellence as a premier urban university. Everyone has been very welcoming and helpful during my transition. I look forward to working with everyone in our campus community to provide an excellent educational opportunity for our students.

Rebecca Edmundson (Beci)
I am the new Faculty Affairs Specialist for the Provost Office/Academic Affairs. My primary duties are to assist Vice Provost, Dr. Ron MacQuarrie, in streamlining processes and procedures regarding the recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, and tenure of UMKC’s faculty and scholars. If you have questions or concerns regarding any of these items, please direct them to me via phone (2721), email (edmundsonr@umkc.edu) or campus mail (350 AC). I also processes all academic hiring documentation (including Additional Pay and Extra Compensation requests) submitted for Provost signature. I transferred to the Provost/Academic Affairs Office in October 2008 with over 11 years experience in personnel, payroll, and scholarship support from the UMKC School of Computing & Engineering.

We welcome Bill, Cindy, and Beci and look forward to continuing to work with them in the new year.

UMKC Gives Back

2008-12-18T10:55:00.015-06:00

“As the cold winds blow, literally and metaphorically, I thought the following news might be warming,” said Peter Witte, Dean of the Conservatory of Music and Dance. Charles Robinson and Ryan Board delivered funds totaling $1,314 and four barrels of canned goods to Harvesters. The funds and food were collected as part of their Sixth Annual Choral Concert called “A Season for Giving”. A cooperative effort with Visitation Catholic Church, the December 6th benefit concert attracted more than 800 people to learn about Harvesters Community Food Network and celebrate the season.

We at the Provost Office were touched by this news and asked other academic units what they have been doing to keep joy of giving alive. Here are some of the replies. We hope that they will also keep you cozy in this winter weather.

UMKC Friends of the Library sponsored a food drive in support of Harvesters Community Food Network. Friends board members kicked off the drive by bringing contributions to their December 2 board meeting. Collection bins then were placed at the entrances of the Miller Nichols and Health Sciences libraries during finals week. Library faculty and staff closed the event by bringing donations to their annual holiday potluck luncheon, Dec. 11. Three barrels of nonperishable food and household items were collected.

At the Bloch School of Business holiday party this year, a collection for Harvesters gathered $150, which is equal to 750 meals.

The Computer Science Electrical Engineering department in the School of Computing & Engineering partnered with US FIRST and hosted a middle school robotics tournament at Liberty High School on December 14.

In the School of Education, the faculty and staff recently collected donations for Plaza de Niños at the Guadalupe Center. The total from faculty and staff donations came to just under $600.

At the School of Dentistry, the single biggest effort has been the kick off of the Miles for Smiles program in the Olathe School District this past semester. This Reach funded project represents collaboration between dental hygiene faculty and students and four Title 1 Olathe Schools to provide preventive services to un-served or underserved students ages 5-14. The program goals are to provide preventive dental care every six months, improve students' overall knowledge about oral health, and reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who have untreated dental decay in primary and/or permanent teeth.

Students in the DH 4220 Community Oral Health Field Experiences class visited and provided dental hygiene care for a diverse group of children. Over 450 children in four Central City Catholic Schools received oral health education and fluoride varnish applications during the fall semester. Dental hygiene students also educated and applied fluoride varnish to over 300 children with diverse health issues including those who are hearing impaired, disabled and autistic. These programs were offered at the Sherwood Center, Kansas School for the Deaf and Special Olympics. All of these programs were conducted as part of service learning experiences for the students and were supervised by dental hygiene faculty.

The UMKC School of Pharmacy chapter of the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) had a number of events this holiday season to help give back to the community. The group organized a challenge between each class year as well as the faculty and staff to see who could collect the most non-perishable items to be donated to Harvesters Community Food Network. The drive collected more than 850 non-perishable food items! ASP also organized another class competition to collect items to be donated to Soldiers Angels, an organization that puts together care packages to be mailed to soldiers in the U.S. military. The classes were able to collect enough items for five full care packages.

Throughout the year, faculty, staff and students at the UMKC School of Nursing contribute their time, energy and expertise to numerous community service projects and initiatives. Recently, faculty and students worked with the Visiting Nurse Association to administer free flu shots to members of the community; the UMKC chapter of the Student Nurses Association sponsored a very successful food drive for Harvesters; and Dean Lora Lacey-Haun spearheaded an effort to collect toys and other gifts for the Sheffield Place Christmas Store (Sheffield Place is a transitional-living program for homeless mothers and their children).

In years past the School of Graduate Studies did a Secret Santa gift exchange amongst themselves. In view of the current economic situation they decided this holiday season to provide a gift to a family in need through the Salvation Army. They were given a family of six and in order to provide properly for this family they wanted to open it up to others. Employees from the Provost office and the Finance office joined in their efforts and raised a total of $362 plus individual items. They were able to get everything on their list plus a little more. Excited and proud of this result, they plan to do it again next year.

-Thanks to everyone who replied with information about gifts to the community.

In picture: Quincy Bennett Johnson, Constance Mahone, Sherenna Clinton, Teresa Crew and Alphia Curry pose with the holiday gifts donated by UMKC employees to the 2008 Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family program.

Hooding Help for You

2008-12-10T08:55:00.007-06:00

Do we need to remind you that Commencement is this Friday? Are you feeling nervous about your part in the ceremony? We in the Provost Office are delighted to share with you a little video that may ease your anxiety. Thanks to the Technology Learning Lab and the School of Education you too can learn how to properly hood your PhD candidate.

Now we know that you are an established professional in your field of expertise. But does mean that you were ever trained or have done the research on how to hood a PhD candidate? Just because you were recently or in the last half century hooded by your advisor does not mean that you know how to hood the next generation of hoodees.

How embarrassed will you be when you’ve mentored your advisee for years upon torturous years and at the very pinnacle of sending your masterpiece off into the great blue yonder you fail to follow the proper protocol?

See the website. Watch the video. The best defense for awkwardness is the pursuit of knowledge.

-Written by Julie Kohlhart, Graduate Assistant in the Provost Office and hopeful that her advisor will know the proper hooding procedure when that fateful graduation day someday finally arrives

Report from FaCET

2008-12-02T08:20:00.022-06:00

The Provost is proud to support the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET) and is pleased to call attention to its achievements and progress. FaCET is a service program in its fourth year. Faculty pioneered and driven, the program continues to operate with faculty at the helm: Director Dr. Stephen Dilks, a full-time member of the English Department, works closely with two "Faculty Fellows," Professors Cindy Amyot, Director of Distance Education and Faculty Development at the School of Dentistry, and William Everett, Associate Professor in Music History and Musicology. Bob Schubert, who teaches classes on software applications, coordinates the calendar of events and runs the Teaching with Technology committee. And Muffy Guilfoil, an I Ph D student in History and English, organizes the FaCET library and leads the Student Advisory committee.

The FaCET office is located in room 122 of the Miller-Nichols Library. The foyer has comfortable seating and an inviting mini-library with education-inspired art on the walls. Faculty are welcome to stop by to borrow books, to chat about teaching and learning, and to experiment with new and unfamiliar classroom technologies on FaCET's fully equipped ILE station. Faculty are also invited to suggest topics for formal and informal seminars and presentations. Contact Steve, Bill, Cindy, or Bob with enquiries.

On a modest budget the center has expanded from seven events with a total of 112 attendees in Spring 2005 to thirty-nine events with a total of 551 attendees in Spring 2008. Each year FaCET hosts a celebration of Teaching and Learning. In 2009, the 3rd Annual Spring Symposium is focused on “Teaching Environments”; faculty are invited to submit proposals for presentations, posters, and roundtable discussions.

Since Spring 2005 FaCET has hosted over two hundred seminars on issues including Academic Assessment, Blackboard and other classroom technologies, Identity Politics, Academic Freedom and Diversity, Promotion and Tenure, Experiential Learning, International Teaching, Interdisciplinary, Library Resources, Writing to Learn, Urban Literacies, Online Courses and Teaching Large Classes. See FaCET’s web-site www.umkc.edu/provost/initiatives/FaCET for the current "Calendar of Events" and “Faculty Resources.” Write to Stephen Dilks(dilkss@umkc.edu) with suggestions for programming.

In addition to the web-site, information about FaCET is available in “Facets of Teaching and Learning,” the newsletter distributed at the beginning of fall and spring semesters. If you have any comments about the newsletter or if you'd like to contribute an article on any aspect of teaching and learning, please contact Steve Dilks.

Premiering this fall, "Teaching Circles" is a program designed to connect teachers interested in sharing ideas about classroom practice. Unstructured, independent meetings with no report requirement allow free brain-storming, solicited constructive critique, and sustained professional support.

The Teaching Enhancement Grants program (TEG), initiated in Fall 2006 with matching funds from Academic Deans, has provided grant support for thirty-one projects. The grants support a range of projects including classroom research, curricular development, and all aspects of the scholarship of teaching and learning.

FaCET support for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) also includes collaboration with faculty at other institutions locally and nationally. The Center supports faculty attendance at national and international conferences and, on April 25, 2009 FaCET will host the Greater Kansas City Annual SoTL Symposium.

In the future FaCET is planning to expand its connections with students and the community through more extensive work with the Student Advisory Committee and "Serve to Learn," an on-campus initiative designed to connect students and community leaders with faculty who provide service-learning opportunities as part of their curriculum. The new Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Cynthia Pemberton, is already committed to working with the "Serve to Learn" committee.

-Written by Bibie M. Chronwall, Ph.D, Vice Provost, Faculty Development, and Stephen Dilks, Associate Professor, Director of FaCET

More Highlights of Fall 2008

2008-11-18T08:47:00.009-06:00

As the semester begins to wind down, we can look back on some of the highlights:

The Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s production of Clay, “a one man hip-hop musical loosely based on Shakespeare’s Henry IV” moved to New York’s Lincoln Center Theatre for the LCT3 program. LCT3 is a new program which is devoted to producing work by up-and-coming playwrights, directors and designers. In collaboration with Eric Rosen, the artistic director of the KC Repertory Theatre, Matt Sax, who is the writer and sole actor, is the first artist to have been chosen for the program. Participants in the UMKC New York Alumni Reception, including Dean Karen Vorst, Troy Lillebo, and Curt Crespino, attended Clay at Lincoln Center. Clay was seen by a reviewer of the New York Times on the same night (see the article in the New York Times here ).

Another journey we have embarked on this semester is work towards a UMKC Decision Theatre. A Decision Theatre is state-of-the-art tool which can be used for collaboration between disciplines and promote interaction with the community. A Decision Theatre at UMKC would join computer technology with research expertise in order to project 3-D images on a 360 degree image screen. You can take a tour of Arizona State University’s Decision Theatre and you can read more about the work towards the vision of creating a Decision Theatre at UMKC in the University News.

School of Law professor, Pat Randolph, has been honored with the National Friendship Prize for his long term work in real estate law as a visiting professor at the Peking University. The National Friendship Prize is considered the most prestigious award in China that is given to foreigners. Present Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao presided over the ceremony honoring Randolph.

We have also been honored with grants that further our vision to become a model urban research university and contribute to our goal to strengthen resource base and financial capacity.

In the Department of Oral Biology, David Eick, Ph.D. received a grant approaching $1.7 million from the U.S. Department of Defense for his work on the Consortium for Bone and Tissue Repair and Regeneration.
Anil Kumar, from the School of Pharmacy, received a grant of almost $2.3 million for his work on Methamphetamine and AIDS in a Non-Human Primate Model.
Glen Jacobs, of the Center for Academic Development, received funding for the Jumpstart program, which matches UMKC student mentors with children in preschool from low-income families.
Kathy Whited, in the School of Education, received multiple grants from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the UMKC Professional Development Center, which works toward high quality professional development for educators.

We are excited to see what the rest of this semester and the beginning of the new semester will bring.

Strategic Planning Committee

2008-11-11T08:53:00.015-06:00

We have created a Strategic Planning Committee website in order to communicate the history, ongoing activities, and future of the planning process for UMKC. On the website you can view reports that provide background to the planning process, and you can examine strategic plans of the various units. Minutes from the meetings of the steering committee and the subcommittees will be posted as they become available. We encourage you to view the website for regular updates and we are open to receiving your comments by using the “Contact Us” link on the website.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee is made of students, faculty, staff and community members in an effort to include voices from the various entities that comprise UMKC. Below is a list of the individuals who are serving on the steering committee (which are also listed on the Strategic Planning Committee website):

Chrisanne Arnold, Staff Council, Department of Environmental Health
Adam Brown, School of Law Student, 2nd Year
Paul Cuddy, Professor and Senior Associate Dean, School of Medicine
Karen Dace, Deputy Chancellor of Diversity Access and Equity
Jennifer DeHaemers, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
Lawrence Dreyfus, Dean of the School of Biological Sciences
Sandy Gault, Director of International Student Affairs
Mary Pat Henry, Professor, Conservatory of Music and Dance
Mary Lou Hines Fritts, CIO and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Bridgett Johnson, Student Government Association President, Senior, School of Nursing
Patricia Marken, Professor, School of Pharmacy
Meghann Martens, School of Nursing Student, Freshman
Sarah Morris, Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Communications
Nancy Murdock, Chair and Professor, Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology
Bonnie Postlethwaite, Librarian IV - Associate Dean of University Libraries
John Purk, Associate Professor and Director, Department of Oral Biology
Walt Rychlewski, Visiting Professor, Bloch School of Business
Jim Sheppard, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
Bob Simmons, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Administrative Affairs and Campus Facilities Management
Michael Strait, President of Staff Council and Director of Academic Assessment
Steve Stroud, Associate Director, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Lisen Tammeus, Development Director, Alumni and Constituent Relations
Jeff Thomas, Associate Dean, School of Law
Kevin Truman, Dean of the School of Computing & Engineering
Mel Tyler, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
Thad Wilson, Associate Dean, School of Nursing
Hugh Zimmer, Chairman of Zimmer Co.

Ex-Officio

Larry Bunce, Director of Institutional Research Assessment and Planning
Gary Ebersole, President of the Faculty Senate, Professor and Chair, Department of History
Leo Morton, Interim Chancellor of UMKC
John Readey, Chair of the UMKC Board of Trustees

Meetings of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee have been scheduled through February, 2009. Sub-committees are being formed now and will include:

Economic Development
Diversity/Campus Climate
Life and Health Sciences
Visual and Performing Arts
Undergraduate Education/Student Success
Urban Mission/Community Engagement
Science and Technology

Technology Bytes

2008-11-04T12:46:00.016-06:00

During one of September’s Faculty Senate meeting, a request was made to purchase a few Vista/Office for Dummies books and make them available through the IT Liaisons – particularly in the College of Arts and Sciences. So we requested a short tutorial and purchased at least one copy of the Vista/Office for Dummies books for each IT Liaison to loan out. We also looked at what our most common Vista and Office questions are.

Below are links to the proposed MS Office and Vista FAQs and to more training materials. Marilyn B. Reisenbichler, Director of Support Services, is also working with Kevin Bailey, Director of Desktop Technologies at the University of Missouri to see if they are willing to let us link to more of their training materials.

Microsoft Office 2007 and Vista FAQs and More Training Materials

As the fall term is starting to draw to a close please keep in mind important dates in regard to Blackboard.

Important Dates, Information, and Directions for Users of Blackboard

Finally, we would like to point out a new tool that is linked to the UMKC homepage. Thanks to Vishal Kurup’s work, we now have the Calendar of Events. The Calendar consists of several sub-calendars that feed into a central calendar using a program powered by Trumba.

Using this tool you can:
· Submit events (and provide a brief description if the title/tag line is not clear)

· Choose what type of events you are interest in (i.e. academic related, arts & culture, lectures, meetings, etc.)
· Click the events you are interested in and add them to your own electronic calendar
· Print out the calendar, subscribe (it can place the calendar in your Microsoft Outlook), or add it as a RSS feed

Individual departments, units/schools, and offices are able to request a sub-calendar for their website.

View the Calendar of Events and Read the FAQs

-Mary Lou Hines Fritts, CIO and Vice Provost for Academic Programs

Update on Accreditation

2008-10-28T09:13:00.011-05:00

UMKC is in the midst of a vigorous self-study, an activity that all accredited institutions of higher education must undertake every ten years. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the self-study. It is required for us to maintain our regional accreditation from the North Central Association's Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Why is regional accreditation so important? Are there not specialized accrediting bodies for various disciplines, especially the professional schools? There are, but for any of our units—Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Education, Business, Pharmacy, the Conservatory, or any other—to retain accreditation in their disciplines, UMKC has to be regionally accredited. Moreover, institutional accreditation facilitates transfer of credit, ensures our eligibility for numerous government grants, and is important for our graduates.

Regional accreditation requires the active participation of the entire UMKC community, including all constituents. HLC has specified five criteria that will be key to its current evaluations of universities. We have formed a Criterion Committee for each of these criteria:

1. Mission and Integrity
Co-chairs: Tom Poe, Professor of Communication Studies, and Paul Shang, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

2. Preparing for the Future
Co-chairs: Barbara Glesner-Fines, Professor of Law and Larry Bunce, Director of Institutional Research

3. Student Learning and Effective Teaching
Co-Chairs: Marcus Iszard, Associate Professor and Director of Assessment, School of Pharmacy, and Ron MacQuarrie, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research

4. Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge
Co-Chairs: Peter Eaton, Associate Professor of Economics, and William Truog, Professor of Pediatrics

5. Engagement and Service
Co-chairs: Leo Morton, Interim Chancellor, and Margaret Brommelsiek, Interim Chief of Staff to the Chancellor

A Steering Committee, broadly representative of the campus, coordinates the activities of the criterion committees, each of which is also broadly representative. The criterion committees will draft segments of the self-study which the Steering Committee will edit and place into the completed self-study.

The HLC site visit will take place on the 12th to the 14th of October, 2009. The team will be put together specifically for UMKC. We anticipate that it will include members familiar with public, urban, universities as well as with professional schools and the various disciplines that are core to UMKC's campus mission.

It is important for all members of the campus community to be familiar with UMKC's mission, and to be able to discuss the manner in which their activities advance it. Our specific mission, adopted by the Board of Curators, is to lead in the life and health sciences; to deepen and expand strength in the visual and performing arts; to develop a professional workforce and collaborate in urban issues and education; and to create a vibrant learning and campus life experience.

Additionally, our campus has specific goals consistent with its mission: to strengthen resource base and financial capacity; to strengthen the core academic mission; to increase student success; and to improve the racial climate while increasing campus diversity.

We cannot be certain of the details by which the HLC team will conduct its evaluation. There have been instances at other institutions, however, when a team member would ask a student, a faculty member, or a member of the staff about the manner in which the institution pursues its mission. We all should be familiar with the institutional mission in any case, but now it is even more important than ever.

It is vital for us not only to achieve re-accreditation, but to continue to be accredited at the highest level. Please check our website periodically to keep familiar with our progress. You will find it at http://www.umkc.edu/accreditation.

-Written by Max J. Skidmore, Chair HLC Steering Committee
Curators' Professor of Political Science
Thomas Jefferson Fellow

Promotion and Tenure at UMKC

2008-10-23T09:01:00.002-05:00

This year we had an outstanding group of faculty members who were tenured and/or promoted. All of these individuals have had to meet very high standards of performance in teaching and scholarship and have demonstrated excellence and sustained achievements in their fields. I am very pleased with the outcome of this year’s review and proud to be a part of a university with such outstanding scholars and educators.

The promotion of faculty members and the granting of tenure are among the most important decisions made by universities. These serious decisions involve careful scrutiny of faculty performance by faculty committees, administrators, and scholars outside of the university. For new assistant professors on tenure-track appointments, the process of achieving tenure is a long one and usually involves a five-year period of teaching, scholarship, publishing, and service to the university before the tenure review process formally begins. In addition to annual reviews of performance, a departmental and/or school committee of senior faculty members will review the performance of assistant professors in their fifth year and make a recommendation on promotion and tenure. The recommendation of the committee or committees will be considered by the dean of the school/college who will conduct his or her own assessment and make a recommendation on the candidate. Additional reviews are conducted by a campus-wide committee and the Provost who will advise the Chancellor, who makes the final decision. This decision is usually conveyed to the candidate in the sixth year of the assistant professor’s appointment at the university. Faculty members who join the university as tenure-track associate or full professors are subject to the same scrutiny, although the probationary periods are shorter.

-Written by Ron MacQuarrie, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies

Listed below are the names and titles of the tenured and promoted faculty for 2008:

College of Arts & Sciences

Barry Anderson, Tenure –Associate Professor
Peter Elijah Gowin, Tenure –Associate Professor
Jon David VanHorn, Tenure –Associate Professor
Jeffrey Rydberg-Cox, Promotion to Professor
Caroline (“Molly”) Davies, Tenure-Associate Professor
Tina Niemi, Promotion to Professor
Jie Chen, Promotion to Professor
James Sheppard, Tenure-Associate Professor
Clancy Martin, Tenure –Associate Professor

Biological Sciences

Michael Bryan Ferrari, Tenure-Associate Professor
John Laity, Tenure-Associate Professor
Michael O’Connor, Tenure-Associate Professor
Xiao-Qiang Yu, Tenure-Associate Professor
Sullivan Read, Promotion to Professor

Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration

David E. Kuipers, Tenure-Associate Professor

Conservatory of Music & Dance

Keith Benjamin, Promotion to Professor
Chieh-Chi (Scott) Lee, Tenure- Associate Professor
Joseph Parisi, Tenure-Associate Professor
James Snell, Tenure-Associate Professor

School of Dentistry

Reem N. Haj-Ali, Tenure-Associate Professor
Tanya Villalpando Mitchell, Tenure-Associate Professor
Pamela Overman, Promotion - Professor
Mary Walker, Promotion - Professor
Yong Wang, Tenure -(at Assoc. Professor (– no promotion)
Craig Whitt, Tenure (at Assoc. Professor ( -no promotion)

School of Education

Chrisanthia (Chris) Brown, Promotion - Professor

School of Nursing

Jennifer Lynn Hunter, Tenure – Associate Professor

University Libraries

Amitra Burdick, Promotion to Librarian IV
Diane Hunter, Promotion to Librarian III
Phil Johnson, Promotion to Librarian II
Buddy Pennington, Promotion to Librarian II
Wendy Sistrunk, Promotion to Librarian III

School of Computing and Engineering

Deendayal Dinakarpandian,Tenure-Associate Professor
Ganesh Thiagarajan, Tenure-Associate Professor

Hospital Hill Concerns

2008-10-21T11:09:00.011-05:00

As Chair of the Faculty Senate, I often field suggestions and complaints from faculty (and occasionally staff members) across campus. Several weeks ago, after hearing several concerns from colleagues on Hospital Hill, I asked the two Senators from the School of Nursing if they would canvas their faculty colleagues from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry. When they brought the list back, this was shared with the Faculty Senate and the Provost, Gail Hackett. She moved immediately to respond to the concerns for which we are all grateful. Over the years, I have learned that problems can be solved on campus by simply bringing them to the attention of the right people, who have the responsibility and the ability to fix them.

Below are items, ideas, and suggestions that would make life easier on Hospital Hill. I have tried to separate them into loose categories ….conceptual, safety, and practical.

-Written by Gary L. Ebersole, Chair, UMKC Faculty Senate

Conceptual:

Question 1: Can we change the name of this campus to Health Sciences Campus? The term ‘hospital hill’ is really a location within the Kansas City area and not reflective of who we are. Then, we would have UMKC, with a Volker Campus and a Health Science Campus.

Response by Gail Hackett: We will initiate the formal process to change the name of the campus, but we want to ensure that there has been wide discussion. The Deans have suggested that we incorporate the Hospital Hill name into the new name, for example “The UMKC Health Sciences Campus at Hospital Hill”. Would that be acceptable? Ultimately whatever we decide upon needs to go to the Curators for formal approval.

Question 2. Can we get a map of the Hospital Hill campus (until we change the name) on the UMKC locator? Looking at the website (http://www.umkc.edu/maps/), there is only a grid of the Volker Campus.

Response by Mary Lou Hines Fritts: done

Question 3: The Health Science Building is not featured on the virtual tour of the campus. We have been here for over a year.

Response by Mary Lou Hines Fritts: done

Question 4: A Welcome Center or Student Union type of center (staffed) would provide a mechanism for prospective students (and parents) to tour this campus. This is a vital recruiting facility for the Volker Campus, and should be one for the Health Science campus (once we change the name).

Response by Mel Tyler: Tours of Hospital Hill for prospective students are currently coordinated through the UMKC Welcome Center. We are unable at this time to stretch current resources to have separate Welcome Center at Hospital Hill. However, we have developed a Campus Visit Day specifically for prospective students and their families to focus on the Health Sciences at UMKC.

Question 5: Additional financial aid personnel. We have one person and everyone believes she is overwhelmed. Additional help would be nice, especially during critical times.

Response by Mel Tyler: Due to budget restrictions, we have had to reallocate resources to cover both campuses and we are looking at ways to increase services during peak times. In addition, we have hired an assistant for the Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Suite, who is primarily supporting the financial aid coordinator at Hospital Hill. In order to meet this recommendation, we are open to partnering with the Academic Units to provide additional funding.

Question 6: In regard to the Records/Registrar office and a Cashier’s office.

Response by Mel Tyler: Currently, all Records & Registration functions can be completed on-line. All forms requiring student signatures may be faxed or e-mailed from a student’s UMKC e-mail account.

Response by Rick Anderson: Students can always make payment electronically through Pathways. We will look into the feasibility of offering peak time cashier services based on availability of a secured space and student demand.

Question 7: Presently, we have a counseling psychologist one morning per week. Additional help, especially during the afternoon/evening hours, would be appreciated.

Response by Mel Tyler: In order to meet this recommendation, we are open to partnering with the Academic Units to provide additional funding. This partnership would be able to provide additional designated, confidential and accessible counseling space. Hours would be determined by a needs assessment.

Questions 8: Split meeting locations between Volker and Hospital Hill. It seems we are always coming to Volker, when, in fact, parking is easier on this campus.

Response by Gail Hackett: We will encourage having meetings on both campuses as much as possible.

Questions 9, 10, 11:

9.Signage, including the address (2464) placed on the Charlotte side of the building. Our address is Charlotte, but there is nothing on Charlotte to state this. (When you try to mapquest the Health Science Building, we do not exist, so we are left giving the SOD address, and saying that we are across the street).

10. Signs like the medical school has, so parents and students know this is the schools of pharmacy and nursing.

11. Permanent signs within the Health Science Building which indicates where different department are. We currently have paper signs hanging.

Response to Questions 9, 10, and 11 by Rick Anderson: As a part of the Health Sciences Shell Space Completion, new exterior and interior signs are to be installed to address these areas. It will take awhile to procure and fabricate the signage, the issue will be addressed.

Safety:

Question 1: An additional Emergency lantern on the south side of the parking lot. Presently, there is one on the far north side, which would be quite a walk if you were on the south side and needed help.

Response by Rick Anderson: It has been customary for both campuses to have no more than one emergency phone in a lot this size.

We can discuss the need for another if there are safety issues involved.

Question 2: Security checks on a routine schedule. The doors (in the HSB) do not close securely (an air-lock consequence), thus if people who leave in the evening do not make sure that the door closes securely behind them, the door is ajar.

Response by Rick Anderson: The door pressurization issue was predominate at building opening and for several months while we pursued a number of solutions. We have not heard of any complaints for several months. We are checking to see if this is still a current issue?
Currently police and security completes building checks (including exterior doors) twice per shift (6 times per day). Officers will also check a door if they see it is not closed.

Question 3: Better response from security. When one is locked out of the building, it takes awhile for someone to come, and frequently there is no one available at the police station. The medical school has security at the front door … can we get the same service?

Response by Rick Anderson: One officer is assigned to Hospital Hill during each shift which results in Hospital Hill receiving more police coverage per building than the Volker Campus. There is normally a security guard in the Police Substation during the first and second shifts and there are exterior cameras at the Health Sciences Building that are monitored 24/7. The Medical School pays for certain security guard services so they are available in their building.
We will follow-up and try to find out what the issues are concerning response time.

Practical:

Question 1: There is no place for our students to study after 7PM, unless they are already in the building, or have access to the School of Medicine. We have one computer lab and it closes at 5PM (because the last bus leaves for Volker at 5PM). It would be nice to have something available later.

Response by Rick Anderson: The new Perk-Up restaurant in the parking structure will have extended hours and plans to provide lounge space and a conference room for students to study.

Question 2: MORE FOOD SERVICE! (Emphasis placed by those that mentioned it) Specifically, we would like quality food services, with options like the University Center offers. The café sits empty while Quizznos has a line during lunch.

Response by Mel Tyler: The projected Grand Opening for the Hospital Hill Café is October 20, 2008. The Café will continue to feature freshly-prepared, grab-and-go sandwiches, wraps, salads, sushi, and desserts PLUS a salad bar, pizza, and fountain beverages. Tentative operating hours will be 9am - 2pm Monday through Friday and will be re-evaluated after opening.

Response by Rick Anderson: The new Perk-Up restaurant in the parking structure is supposed to be open before the end of the calendar year. Their menu will include coffee, croissants, burritos, wraps, salad bar, potato bar, gyros, candy, ice cream, hot dogs, non-alcoholic beverages and other foods. They plan to have a large screen TV and internet access.

Question 3: ATM machine.

Response by Rick Anderson: Our ATM contract calls for a cash machine in the School of Medicine lobby, and that ATM was supposed to have been installed already. The machine will be put in now that the renovations of the lobby and classrooms have been completed.

Question 4: A Coffee-house with Wi-Fi. This might encourage intra-professional communication.

Response by Mel Tyler: The Hospital Hill Café will be wireless.

Response by Rick Anderson: See Item # 2 Above

Question 5: Student health services availability. Presently, there are no services available on Hospital Hill, requiring a trip to the Volker Campus if services are needed. (It was suggested that this service can be housed in the fitness center)

Response by Mel Tyler: In order to meet this recommendation, we are open to partnering with the Academic Units to provide additional funding. This partnership would be able to provide designated, confidential and accessible examination rooms and support staff. Hours would be determined by a needs assessment. Alternatively, the partnership could develop a triage health exam service with more severe cases referred on to the Student Health and Wellness Center.

Question 6: Presence of the parking and ID badge people would allow us to take care of those items without another trip to the Volker Campus.

Response by Mel Tyler: The ID equipment is costly and we currently only have the one office in the University Center. However, staff were available to update ID pictures earlier this summer (on Thursday, July 24th, Friday, July 25th, and Tuesday, July 29th) and we can certainly make them available at Hospital Hill periodically.

Question 7: The fitness center is only open two days a week (T-Th from noon to 6P). It needs to be open daily and beyond 6PM with shower facilities (so we look like professionals after exercising).

Response by Mel Tyler: The Swinney Recreation Center Annex has Phase II plans that are pending on floor reinforcement, but our goal is to add additional weight equipment and showers during the Spring Semester. Once these improvements are made, hours will be extended depending on demand.

Question 8: Maintenance on a routine schedule. There are doors in the women’s restroom with latches that have been missing for awhile and the doors in the men’s bathroom need a WD-40 treatment. The toilet flushing system is too slow. You can have your hands washed before it automatically flushes, with flushing before use not an uncommon situation.

Response by Rick Anderson: Do we know what building this is in? We have maintenance staff full time on the Hospital Hill campus, so these issues are picked up and addressed when they are reported.

Question 9: An ice machine for the Health Science Building.

Response by Gail Hackett: Units usually foot the bill for these types of things.

Question 10: Student learning /tutoring specialists.

Response by Mel Tyler: Supplemental Instruction is currently provided to students on Hospital Hill (Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing and Dentistry) in courses such as Organic Chemistry, Human Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Anatomy. The courses offered differ from semester to semester. The Center for Academic Development is equally interested in further developing student support services on Hospital Hill.

Jeff Traiger is the Liaison for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management services for our students at the Hospital Hill campus. He meets with the Academic Unit liaisons twice a month and works directly with students to ensure that their needs are met. Jeff is located in the new Health Sciences Building Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Office, Suite 1417. He may be reached at traigerj@umkc.edu or at 816-235-5660.

Publication in Science

2008-10-15T13:54:00.003-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS to one of our law faculty, Christopher Holman, who published an article in Science, one of the most prestigious journals in the world: Holman, C.M. (10 October 2008). Trends in human gene patent litigation. Science, 322, 198-199.

See the Article Here

UMKC is Participating in the COACHE Survey of Junior Faculty

2008-10-15T12:40:00.005-05:00

Junior faculty on the UMKC campus will be receiving a survey soon on tenure-track faculty job satisfaction. This survey research is part of a national program called COACHE – the Collaborative On Academic Careers in Higher Education, under the direction of Cathy Trower and Richard Chait of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. For more information about this study go to http://www.coache.org/

The purpose of the survey is to learn how early-career faculty view specific institutional policies here at UMKC, including our tenure and promotion process, and to gauge current job satisfaction, compared to tenure-track faculty at peer institutions. All survey responses will be confidential; COACHE will publish only aggregate results.

COACHE will provide our campus with their summary analyses, as well as the confidential unit-record database, stripped of names and e-mail addresses. COACHE will explore and analyze broad patterns in the data, to assist our campus review of existing academic policies, and to assist with planning and developing improved tenure processes across campus. We will report back later on overall trends and what we will be doing as a campus to improve our support for junior faculty.

New Faculty Teaching Scholars

2008-10-14T11:35:00.006-05:00

The New Faculty Teaching Scholars (NFTS) is a UM System-wide, year-long program designed to support new faculty. Faculty members in their first four years in the UM System are eligible to participate. During three retreats professors learn how to build an academic portfolio, how to balance teaching, research and scholarship, and how to develop courses and become effective teachers. The retreats also afford abundant opportunities to network among colleagues from all four campuses.

The UMKC 2008-2009 cohort of scholars comes from seven academic units and represents a dozen disciplines.

This year's scholars are:

Jon Anderson, School of Medicine
Carolyn Barber, School of Education
Teresa Blanc, School of Nursing
Lauri Blanch, School of Medicine
Kun Cheng, School of Pharmacy
Derrick Hodge, College of Arts and Sciences
Jae Jung, Bloch School of Business and Public Administration
(Walter) Daniel Leon-Salas, School of Computing and Engineering
(Shirley) Marie McCarther, School of Education
Sookhee Oh, College of Arts and Sciences
Larson Powell, College of Arts and Sciences
Dana Tulodziecki, College of Arts and Sciences

See their pictures and profiles here

They make a commitment to attend each retreat and to participate in seminars and discussions that focus on strategies to support student learning, engagement, and success at UMKC’s Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET). Their sparse free time is spent on a wide variety of exciting activities.

The first NFTS retreat for this academic year took place October 2-3 in Jefferson City and was led by Dr. James Groccia. Groccia directed the Program for Excellence in Teaching at University of Missouri - Columbia before accepting the position as Director of the Biggio Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at Auburn University in Alabama. He is an internationally acclaimed educational leader and author, and a dynamic workshop leader.

Here are some comments offered by UMKC participants about the retreat:

…..“The retreat was very helpful, I learned a lot, especially about effective teaching techniques … eager to apply the Seven Principles."

“…a great opportunity to reflect on my academic portfolio…. I needed the 'sanctuary' apart from my routine to think and write about my research, teaching, outreach, and service roles…”

“…surprised by the emphasis to actually get things done while we were there. I also did not expect it to be as social as it actually was. And I met more people than I anticipated which was very nice.”

“…I am so impressed that the UM- system seems to know something that some major eastern universities do not: new faculty are hungry for the opportunity to improve their teaching. Actively working on teaching skills requires both mentoring and some time away from our daily duties. I am glad that I came to a university that understands the need to make this worthy of investment!"

-Written by Bibie Chronwall, Vice Provost for Faculty Development

Want to know more about NFTS? Read this month's newsletter, U Matters

Provost Announcement: Cynthia Pemberton appointed Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

2008-10-07T12:57:00.007-05:00

I am pleased to announce the selection of Cynthia Pemberton as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. During the 2007-2008 academic year Pemberton served as Acting Associate Provost at Missouri State University and between 2001 and 2006 was Dean of MSU’s College of Health and Human Services. Her academic career has also included ten years at UMKC as a faculty member and in administrative roles. Pemberton will begin her duties as Vice Provost on November 17, 2008.

As MSU’s Acting Associate Provost for Student Success, Pemberton provided leadership for the development and implementation of strategies to increase student engagement with the intent of increasing student retention, graduation rates and student learning outcomes. In her role as Dean at MSU, she led an initiative to revise the college strategic plan, reflecting a commitment to multidisciplinary research, teaching and service. Under her leadership, the school established the Center for Multidisciplinary Health Education, Research and Service.

In addition to serving as Chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education while at UMKC, Pemberton was Interim Associate Dean for the School of Education. Working in partnership with then Interim Dean Linda Edwards, Pemberton developed a proposal for a new cooperative Ed. D. with the University of Missouri-St. Louis, which was approved.

During 2006/2007 AY, Pemberton participated in the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship Program, the nation's premier higher education leadership development program for preparing senior leaders to serve American colleges and universities. As an ACE Fellow, Pemberton was mentored by Chancellor Robert Hemenway of the University of Kansas.

“Dr. Pemberton brings to this position both extensive experience and a passion for promoting student success,” said Dr. Ron MacQuarrie, Dean of UMKC School of Graduate Studies and chair of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Search Committee. “Her experiences at Missouri State University, the University of Kansas, and at the national level will be valuable to UMKC in pursuing our goals of expanding learning opportunities and enhancing the quality of student life on campus.”

I commend the work of Dean MacQuarrie and the Search Committee for helping to select an outstanding Vice Provost for Academic Affairs from an extremely competitive slate of candidates.

Gail Hackett
Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Congratulations to the winners of the UMKC Trustee Awards

2008-10-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Trustees Faculty Fellowship Award
Trustees recognize the very best faculty, who have distinguished themselves through scholarship and creativity. The recipients are expected to serve as role models and to mentor and encourage other faculty members and students in pursuit of academic excellence. Nominees must be full-time, regular faculty members who have been employed by UMKC for at least three years prior to the date of nomination and who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly achievements at UMKC.

The 2008-2009 winners for the Trustees Faculty Fellowship Award of $15,000 are Sullivan Read from Biological Sciences and William Everett from the Conservatory.

Trustees Faculty Scholar Award
The purpose of the Faculty Scholar Award is to recognize faculty members who show exceptional promise for outstanding future research and/or creative accomplishments. Candidates demonstrate exceptional scholarly achievements at UMKC for their stage of professional development. These awards are available exclusively for faculty members at the rank of Assistant Professor who have been employed in this position for at least two years prior to the date of nomination.

The 2008-2009 winners for the Faculty Scholar of $5,000 are Michael O'Connor of Biological Sciences and Reza Derakhshani of Computer Science and Engineering.

N.T. Veatch Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity
The purpose of the N.T. Veatch Award is to recognize distinguished research and other scholarly or creative activity accomplished by UMKC faculty. All full-time, regular faculty members who have been at UMKC for at least three years are eligible to be nominated.

The winner of the 2008-2009 NT Veatch Award is William Everett of the Conservatory.

Learn more about these awards

Computer Security

2008-09-30T12:00:00.010-05:00

For the past several weeks, the Faculty Senate and Information Services have been working on an issue related to computer security. As many of you are aware, maintaining a secure, but flexible computing environment for students, faculty and staff is challenging. Security threats flow through email, software applications, and the web. There are no silver bullets that will protect university systems, and as a campus we must maintain multiple layers of security. It is incumbent upon all of us to work together and keep university information secure.

One of the ways that university information is kept secure is through the timely application of software updates and security patches. Unfortunately, these are taking long periods of time to deploy because computers are left logged in and running for multiple days (sometimes weeks), which prevents software updates/patches from being installed.

Currently, when software updates/patches are deployed timing of installation typically is:

· In 30 days – 54% of campus computers are updated
· In 60 days – 60% of campus computers are updated
· In 90 days – 65% of campus computers are updated

In order to reduce impact to end users yet streamline the installation of software updates and keep systems secure, a campus-wide PC maintenance window for software deployments is being proposed. This will allow updates to be deployed overnight when most computers are not in use. It is recognized that not all computers – especially research lab computers – can have updates/patches installed this way but the vast majority of computers on the campus can.

Faculty Senate and Information Services are asking faculty and staff for their feedback on the proposed options, time and implementation timeline as outlined below. Please view the proposal and let us know your thoughts. To provide feedback on this proposal, please email Carole McArthur (McArthurC@umkc.edu) or myself, Mary Lou Hines Fritts (HinesML@umkc.edu), by Monday, October 6th, 2008.

See the PROPOSAL here

Welcome and Hello

2008-09-23T12:00:00.007-05:00

I am very pleased to announce the beginning of a new vehicle to enhance our internal university communication: the Provost’s Blog: Weekly Updates. The purpose of the blog is to inform everyone about what is happening as well as to explain any current issues or events in or related to Academic Affairs about which people may have questions. Our goal is to give you a better idea about what is going on.

Our hope is that you will use this tool to stay informed, and in return, you will give us feedback. You can make comments on the posts and you can also place suggestions for the Academic Affairs Office in the Suggestion Box below. You may leave your email address for us to respond or we can place your comments anonymously. In either case we look forward to hearing from you!

To begin our online conversation, I would like to point out that during the first week of September, UMKC hosted the University of Missouri Curators meeting on our campus. Our Interim Chancellor, Leo Morton, presented some information about our current enrollment figures (see the Chancellor’s presentation here), our campus master plan, and we also gave the Curators a tour of both of our campuses and some of our facilities.

The UMKC Faculty Senate also hosted President Forsee and the Curators at a breakfast during the Curators meeting and several of our faculty made presentations showing us in a very favorable light. Burton Dunbar, Chair of Art and Art History, spoke about partnerships we have with various organizations in Kansas City; we saw a film clip of a collaboration between Conservatory Music and Dance faculty, Jane Solose and Paula Weber, and Conservatory Dance students; and Department of Geosciences faculty members, Jimmy O. Adegoke and Caroline Davies, made a presentation about their research (see it here).

At Convocation on Monday September 15, Leo Morton and I extended a welcome to all faculty, staff and students to the new academic year, and three of our Theatre students, Samra Teferra, Mark Thomas, and Grant Prewitt performed monologues (see the video and the slide show).

Please join Leo Morton and me for a UMKC Town Hall Meeting. We want to listen to your concerns and answer your questions. We will be on the Hospital Hill Campus this Thursday, September, 25th, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the School of Medicine, Theatre A. Then this Friday, September 26th, from 10 to 11 a.m. we will be on the Volker Campus at the University Center, Pierson Auditorium.

Again, I look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and I hope that you will use the Weekly Updates blog to keep in touch with what we’re doing in the Academic Affairs Office.