The Reporter, July 2013

The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | TOP STORIES Appalachian Trail organization holding July 19-26 meeting at WCU Current and former Western Carolina University faculty members will be leading workshops on the topics of natural history and “energy miles” as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy holds its biennial meeting on campus Friday, July 19, through Friday, July 26. About 1,000 trail enthusiasts are expected to attend the conference, which will include 137 organized hikes, 70 workshops and numerous excursions to many of the region’s top indoor and outdoor attractions. The ATC also will be sponsoring a series of nighttime presentations that are open to the general public. The ATC was organized in 1925 to preserve and manage the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail, which traverses the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Maine. The organization last hosted its biennial meeting at WCU in 1981. Conference workshops will be held over a four-day period – Saturday, July 20, through Tuesday, July 23. Retired WCU biology professor J. Dan Pittillo will present “A Natural History of the Southern Appalachians” at 3:15 p.m. Sunday, July 21. Pittillo will discuss how the process of plate tectonics has influenced the highly diverse flora and fauna of the Appalachians. At 7:15 p.m. July 23, current WCU faculty members Maurice Phipps, professor of parks and recreation management, and Maridy Troy, assistant professor of health and physical education, will lead a session focusing on their “energy mile” research, which involved the testing of a theory first proposed by mountaineering and outdoor education legend Paul Petzoldt. Two workshops will be presented by WCU alumni. Justin Padgett of Landmark Learning in Cullowhee, who received a master’s degree in human resource development in 2000, will lead a session on “Common Medical Issues” at 3:15 p.m. July 20. Mark Ellison, who received his bachelor’s degree in business administration at WCU in 1992, will speak on “Hiking: The Path to a Healthy Mind and Body” at 7:15 p.m. Monday, July 22. Concurrent nighttime presentations and musical events that are open to the general public begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $7, with children under age 12 admitted free. The July 21 schedule includes “Called Again” author Jennifer Pharr Davis, who holds the record for speed-hiking the Appalachian Trail, talking about her experiences during that 46-day journey. Her presentation will take place in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center. At the same time, a contra dance will be held in WCU’s Reid Gymnasium, with music by the Asheville band Appalachian Storm. Events scheduled for July 22 include a slideshow, with author Danny Bernstein speaking about her 1,000-mile hike on the Mountains-to- Sea Trail, scheduled for the University Center theater, and a presentation of mountain music by the band Southern Exposure in the Grandroom of the University Center. July 23 events will include a performance of contemporary and traditional bluegrass by the band Buncombe Turnpike in the University Center Grandroom, and a presentation about the essential elements for founding a successful outdoor nonprofit by Jim Kern, founder of Big City Mountaineers and the American Hiking Society. Kern will speak in Illusions at the University Center. The schedule for Wednesday, July 24, includes a concert of rock ‘n’ roll blues by the band Pleasure Chest at the University Center Grandroom, plus a slideshow presentation focusing on the Benton MacKaye Trail by Darcy Douglas in the University Center theater. The nighttime events will conclude Thursday, July 25, with Cherokee dancer and storyteller Eddie Swimmer presenting an evening of entertainment in the University Center theater. Conference registration, which covers participation in hikes, workshops and excursions, is open at www.appalachiantrail.org/2013biennial for one-day, weekend and weeklong admission. On-site registration will be available July 19- 21. For more information, visit the website listed above or contact ATC representative Leanna Joyner at 828-808-0456. By Randall Holcombe CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | WCU police ocers participating in a tactical training exercise in June surround a suspect vehicle and prepare to remove a dangerous suspect. Steve Lillard, assistant WCU police chief, gives last-minute instructions to a team preparing to enter a building and clear it of suspects as part of a tactical training exercise in June. NOTEWORTHY NEWS Campus police participate in tactical training Western Carolina University police ocers participated in tactical training in June in which they practiced skills such as clearing a building of possible suspects and using ballistic shields. “We are constantly training and preparing for emergencies,” said Earnest Hudson, chief of police at WCU. “Thankfully, large emergencies do not happen frequently. However, our community expects police ocers to be prepared to respond to any emergency with professionalism, skill and teamwork. This training expands on skills ocers already possess, gives them additional knowledge and experience, and promotes the tactical team work necessary in an emergency.” The training took place over two, two-day periods to enable all ocers to participate while continuing to serve the campus. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT WCU police officers prepare to make entry to clear a building of possible suspects during a June staff training event. © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Collins co-authors journal article The Justice System Journal recently published an article co-authored by Todd Collins, associate professor of political science and public aairs and director of WCU’s Public Policy Institute. The article is titled “The Value of Precedent: Appellate Briefs and Judicial Opinions in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.” CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Collins to edit national newsletter Todd Collins, associate professor of political science and public aairs and director of WCU’s Public Policy Institute, will become editor of the Law and Courts Newsletter, the official newsletter of the law and Courts section of the American Political Science Association, in spring 2014. The national publication features three issues each year and highlights research, events and announcements of interest to the section members. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Foguel to present at international meeting A proposal for a special session submitted by Tuval Foguel, professor and head of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, and colleagues from other institutions has been accepted for presentation at the Second Joint International Meeting of the Israeli Mathematical Union and the American Mathematical Society in Israel in 2014. The title of the special session is “Quasigroups, Loops and Applications.” CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS Hunter Library participates in Open Library NC Project Books contributed from libraries including Hunter Library to the Open Library NC Project have been scanned and are being converted into eBooks for the Open Library eBook Lending Collection. Through the project, North Carolinians can check out and download more than 200,000 eBooks published between 1923 and 1999 through Open Library, an eBook lending platform developed by Internet Archive. In addition, more than one million public domain titles, and a small collection of recently published titles are available. Hunter Library contributed to the project “American Protestantism” by Winthrop S. Hudson, “Highway Safety and Trac Control” by John W. Gibbons (editor), “Medieval Days and Ways” by Gertrude Hartman, “Comparative Biochemistry of the Flavonoids” by J.B. Harborne, “The Identication and Education of the Academically Talented Student in the American Secondary School” from the Invitational Conference on the Academically Talented Secondary School Pupil, “Realms of Meaning: A Philosophy of the Curriculum for General Education” by Philip H. Phenix, “Political Power and Educational Decision-Making” by Ralph B. Kimbrough, “Manufacturing Processes” by Harold V. Johnson and “Layout 4: Printing, Design and Typography” by Charles J. Felten. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Journal publishes article about storm surge database The Journal of Coastal Research recently published an article by Robert S. Young, director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and professor of coastal geology, and Katie McDowell Peek, coastal research scientist, titled “Understanding the Controls on Storm Surge through the Building of a National Storm Surge Database.” The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University built a publicly accessible national storm surge database that is comprehensive, queriable and provides a central location for storm surge and high water-mark data. The national database contains more than 5,800 storm surge data points from 42 hurricanes and information such as storm track, wind speed, central pressure and storm diameter. Information in the database is intended to assist with storm surge prediction and with educating coastal residents, emergency planners and developers about past storm surge flood levels in order to lead to more responsible coastal development and hurricane preparedness. In the report’s conclusions, a preliminary analysis of the storm characteristics and surge data show no signicant relationship between surge height and Saffir-Simpson scale category of storm. “This suggests that this way of categorizing storms should not be used for storm surge prediction or communicating surge threat to the public,” said McDowell and Young in the report’s conclusions. “Only pressure at landfall shows a signicant relationship with surge height. It is clear from these analysis that multiple factors likely control surge heights during a storm, including storm track and geomorphologic features.” Tags: Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Renee Corbin Kristen Crosson Laura Dewald James Felton Patrick Frazier Sue Grider TOP STORIES Leadership Academy organizers, participants look forward to launch Chancellor David O. Belcher describes the new WCU Leadership Academy, which gets under way this fall, as a win-win situation– a first-rate professional development opportunity for participants on an ongoing basis that will result in a strong pool of leadership talent at Western Carolina University. “What we are not trying to do with the Leadership Academy is to train future administrators, though some participants may in time move into such roles,” said Belcher. “Rather, the purpose of the Leadership Academy is to foster leadership, which can manifest itself across the range of university functions.” The academy was created to cultivate faculty and staff leaders as part of WCU’s effort to achieve the goals identified in the 2020 Vision: Focusing Our Future strategic plan. Belcher announced the implementation of a leadership program for WCU faculty and staff during his installation address in March 2012, and the 2020 plan called for the establishment of such a program, which was developed under the leadership of the late Provost Angi Brenton and Laura Cruz, director of Coulter Faculty Commons. “I am delighted that Laura Cruz and Provost Brenton embraced the concept so enthusiastically,” said Belcher. “Angi had such a leadership program for faculty and staff in her college at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and was thus a perfect champion for such a program at Western Carolina.” Cruz said Brenton supplied the curriculum that was adapted for WCU’s Leadership Academy, and core activities include a retreat on Friday, Aug. 2; half-day workshops in September, November, February, March and April; and a tour of the region in May. Participants are expected to develop not only as a leader, and personally and professionally, but also to develop significant appreciation for the opportunities and challenges facing the university and identify proactive strategies for working in partnership and in collaboration at the campus, community and regional levels. The academy is guided by a steering committee whose members are Cruz, Mike Correlli, Kathy Wong, Robin Hitch, Christopher Hoyt, Shawn Collins, Hollye Moss and Kim Ruebel. The group selected the inaugural participants: Renee Corbin, director of assessment for the College of Education and Allied Professions; Kristen Crosson, director of budgets and financial planning; Laura DeWald, professor of chemistry and physics; James Felton, director of intercultural affairs; Patrick Frazier, associate director of admissions; Sue Grider, learning management system manager in Coulter Faculty Commons; Jason M. LaVigne, Microsoft SQL database administrator; Amy McKenzie, administrative support associate in the Department of Philosophy and Religion; Andrea Moshier, compliance officer and interim director of research with the graduate school; Andy Voelker, manager of student computing; John Whitmire, associate professor and head of the philosophy and religion department; and Brett L. Woods, director of development. “Reading about people’s aspirations and about how they feel about Western and why they want to lead here was inspiring,” said Cruz. Participants cited a range of reasons for applying to the academy. Crosson, who recently joined the staff at WCU, said the financial challenges facing WCU during a time of record student enrollment and rising expenses inspired her to want to participate in the Leadership Academy. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Jason LaVigne Amy McKenzie Andrea Moshier Andy Voelker John Whitmire Brett Woods Others talked about their interests in boosting the positive energy and leadership currently found at WCU, and their connection to various goals of the university, such as community engagement and service. For Felton, who is entering his fourth year at WCU, participation was about learning more about the history and culture of the institution while finding ways to collaborate with WCU stakeholders on institutional, regional and global levels. “I look forward to working with my fellow colleagues in making meaningful contributions to the 2020 plan at this strategically critical moment for the university,” he said. Corbin, who has been at WCU for 28 years, said her interest stems from her desire to build relationships through the academy experience that could lead to collaborations to further strategic issues at the university. “Our university can no longer afford to work in silos but must collaboratively solve problems in an efficient and timely manner across divisions and budget money effectively,” said Corbin. “I would like to be part of the new level of excellence that the university has taken steps to initiate.” Whitmire traced his interest in helping lead WCU’s future to his family’s six or seven-generation history in Western North Carolina and connections to WCU as students and university leaders. “It’s important to protect the legacy of this institution as a place that has helped to mold the teachers who have shaped the kids growing up in Western North Carolina – kids like me – for generations now,” said Whitmire. LaVigne also spoke to a deep connection as an alumnus and employee at WCU, which has been part of his life for almost 20 years. “I want to see WCU grow and would love to have a small part in making that happen,” he said. Voelker, too, shared a long-term connection to WCU. “Having started college, graduated, entered the workforce, met my wife, proposed and been married all on the grounds of this very campus, I have a deep desire to see only the best for the university,” said Voelker. What inspired him to apply to the Leadership Academy was the drive of the people he works with on a daily basis to succeed and their passion for what they do and the ideas they have, he said. “I hope to improve the skills necessary to see these things through and inspire a positive change on this campus more effectively,” he said. Several participants such as Grider and Woods spoke to their support of the “Western Way.” “Western inspired me like no other place because of the commitment to Western by the Western family – staff, faculty, alumni, students, parents and donors. Gurney Chambers, retired dean of the College of Education, called it the ‘Western Way,’” said Woods. “The Western Way means embracing Western Carolina University as our university and taking pride in ourselves as Catamounts. The Western Way means understanding, believing in and helping implement the announced mission of Western. The Western Way means finding satisfaction in watching Western improve and in serving as catalysts in that improvement. It means trying to do what is best for Western. “I was here for five years until I was recruited by a major research institution,” he said. “After a successful 3.5-year stint working there, it was clear that you could only find the Western Way at Western. I longed to return, and was fortunate and blessed to be able to.” By Teresa Killian Tate © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home July 9, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Mathematics faculty author book chapter Mathematics faculty members Nathan Borchelt, assistant professor; Axelle Faughn, assistant professor; Kate Best, instructor; and Kathy M.C. Jaqua, associate professor, co-authored a chapter that IGI Global published in “ Common Core Mathematics Standards and Implementing Digital Technologies,” which was released in May. The chapter is titled “TPACK Pathways that Facilitate CCSS Implementation for Secondary Mathematics Teacher Candidates.” James W. Wilson, professor of mathematics education from the University of Georgia said the book will help mathematics educators “navigate a shifting terrain of mathematics standards, technology innovations and assessments.” In addition, Wilson said the text provides the “elements of a vision of what school mathematics classrooms could become with the enhanced understanding of mathematics using technology.” CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT