The Reporter, January 2016

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 January 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Brown to co-chair sessions at Washington conference David Brown, director of special projects and initiatives at WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, will co-chair two sessions at the College Art Association annual conference in Washington, D.C., which is Wednesday, Feb. 3, through Saturday, Feb. 6. Brown will chair the “Time. Space. Money” session with Niku Kashef of California State University, Northridge. He also will chair “Another 5×5: Mining the D.C. area’s Distinct Culture” with Everlena-Zoe Charlton of American University. Brown also was recently named the guest curator for an international exhibition “Another Better World” at the Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands. Among the artists are Workingman Collective members Morgan Kennedy, who teaches sculpture at WCU, and Tom Ashcraft, WCU Distinguished Professor of Visual Arts and director of the Master of Fine Arts Program. By Marlon W. Morgan 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Collins to present at UNC-Chapel Hill legal conference Todd Collins, associate professor of political science and public aairs, and director of the Public Policy Institute, will present research as part of the UNC law school’s annual “Festival of Legal Learning” in Chapel Hill on Friday, Feb. 12. The program includes a wide-range of courses offered to attorneys from across the state to fulfill their required continuing legal education hours. “My presentation is titled ‘You’re Not from Around Here, Are You? Professional Interactions with Unknown Attorneys,’” Collins said. “This presentation stems from a project where my co-authors and I surveyed more than 2,000 attorneys. We explore professional interactions among lawyers that could influence case outcomes.” A manuscript from this project also is currently under review at a peer-reviewed academic journal. 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Pam Tillis NOTEWORTHY NEWS Country music star Pam Tillis to perform at WCU’s Bardo Arts Center Jan. 24 Two-time Grammy Award-winning country music star Pam Tillis will perform at Western Carolina University’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, as part of the Galaxy of Stars Series. Tillis, daughter of country music legend Mel Tillis, burst onto the scene when her rst single hit the charts in 1990. Since then, Tillis has had 14 top-ve hits, six of which reached No. 1. She has sold more than 6 million records. In addition to her two Grammys, Tillis has won three Country Music Association awards, including being named Female Vocalist of the Year in 1994. Also a talented songwriter, Tillis has had compositions recorded by such artists as Chaka Khan, Juice Newton and Conway Twitty. Tillis replaces Newton, who was originally scheduled to perform at the Bardo Arts Center, but recently announced her retirement and had to cancel. Tickets for the event are $16 for WCU faculty and sta, $21 for adults, and $7 for students and children. They can be purchased at bardoartscenter.edu or by calling the box oce at 828-227- 2479. By Marlon W. Morgan Tags: Galaxy of Stars Series 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Todd Creasy NOTEWORTHY NEWS Creasy to direct WCU’s MBA program Todd Creasy, an associate professor in Western Carolina University’s College of Business who previously held leadership roles in two publicly traded “Fortune 500” companies and a half-billion-dollar private company, has been appointed director of WCU’s master’s degree program in business administration. Creasy earned master’s degrees in nance and business administration at the University of Memphis and his doctorate in management at Case Western Reserve University. His 25 years of industry experience was focused in human resources and operations management. He also led his own human resources consulting and executive recruitment firm for five years before selling the company in 1995. Creasy began teaching in 2008 and has held positions at Vanderbilt University, Western Kentucky University and Carson-Newman College. He joined the faculty in WCU’s College of Business in 2011 and has taught in both the MBA program and for WCU’s master’s program in project management. “I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to lead this program that is so vitally important to the economic progress of Western North Carolina,” Creasy said. “Our MBA students earn their degrees and are equipped for business leadership and innovation. I’m looking forward to working with our wonderful students and talented faculty to take the program forward.” WCU’s MBA program is oered in the evenings in both full-time and part-time formats from the university’s instructional site at Biltmore Park Town Square in Asheville. The 36-hour curriculum can be completed by full-time students in three semesters and by part-time students in six semesters. No prerequisite courses are required, but incoming students are required to attend a pre-MBA “boot camp” each August that covers the basics of accounting, math, economics and Excel, Creasy said. For more information about WCU’s MBA program, contact Creasy at 828-227-3600 or rtcreasy@wcu.edu, or Kelly McIntyre, MBA program manager, at 828-654-6533 or kumcintyre@wcu.edu. 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: 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Runners in the 2012 half marathon count off the miles as they make progress along the Tuckaseigee River. NOTEWORTHY NEWS Cross Training Challenge registration now open, begins Jan. 18 Registration is open for Western Carolina University’s 2016 Cross Training Challenge in which participants select three exercise categories, such as running/walking, recreational activities or strength training, and then log participation in related fitness activities over an eight-week period beginning Monday, Jan. 18. All faculty, staff and students, as well as other Campus Recreation Center members who wish to participate, are asked to register at the front desk of the CRC and then record the amount of time they spend each day in fitness activities on the 2016 Cross Training Challenge tracking form. The challenge concludes Friday, March 11, and participants who achieve set goals in three exercise categories and submit their completed tracking forms will win a T-shirt. The challenge is designed to encourage and promote physical activity and improved health for all members of the WCU community. “The Cross Training Challenge is a great way to kick off the new year and become a healthier you,” said Mandy Dockendorf, assistant director for fitness and wellness. “This program was created for participants to have the freedom to set their own goals and be successful in accomplishing them. If you work best with having accountability, grab a co-worker or friend and take the challenge together. The challenge can help make 2016 your best year yet.” Faculty and staff do not need to be a member of the Campus Recreation Center to participate. For more information on the Cross Training Challenge and other wellness resources available on campus, visit the Whee for Life website at wheeforlife.wcu.edu. – Contributed information 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | TOP STORIES Cullowhee snowfall – a cup half empty or a cup half full? Every now and then, the disruptive side of nature makes a visit on the WCU campus, and such was the case late last week when a winter storm smothered the Cullowhee Valley in 4 to 6 inches of snow. But apart from the turmoil on the highways and the unsettling of institutional and personal schedules, there remains the wonder of the falling flakes and their ability to transform a college campus into a playground for its inhabitants. https://www.flickr.com/photos/westerncarolinauniversity/sets/72157663249020360 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Fred Bahnson NOTEWORTHY NEWS Faith, environmental issues to be topic of Jan. 28 lecture at WCU Fred Bahnson, assistant professor and director of the Food, Faith and Religious Leadership Initiative at the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, will speak Thursday, Jan. 28, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 130 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of Western Carolina University. A reception will precede the lecture at 5 p.m. His presentation, “Tree of Life: Christianity in a Time of Climate Change,” will share Bahnson’s experiences from recent travels among faith-based environmentalists, exploring the challenges of climate change, the evolving face of American Christianity and Pope Francis’s call for Christianity’s “ecological conversion.” Bahnson is the author of two books in the genre, “Churches Moving Beyond Hunger Relief” and, with Norman Wirzba, “Making Peace With the Land.” He also is a contributor to three anthologies of essays on related subjects. Bahnson’s address is the third in the academic year’s Jerry Jackson Lectures in the Humanities Series, co-sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and Religion and the Honors College, and also supported by a number of other units and the Provost’s Visiting Scholar Fund. The fourth and final lecture will be presented by WCU’s own Laura Wright, associate professor and head of the Department of English, on the subject of her book “The Vegan Body Project,” with a date likely in late February but yet to be determined. For more information about this lecture or the series, contact John Whitmire at jwhitmire@email.wcu.edu or 828-227-7262. By Keith Brenton CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 27, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | The three members of the Galumpha Acrobatic Dance Trio combine stunning acrobatics, striking visual effects, physical comedy and inventive choreography. NOTEWORTHY NEWS Galumpha dancers to perform at WCU’s Bardo Arts Center on Feb. 5 The Galaxy of Stars series continues Friday, Feb. 5, when the Galumpha Acrobatic Dance Trio performs a mix of art and entertainment along with award-winning choreography at 7:30 p.m. at Western Carolina University’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. The three performers combine stunning acrobatics, striking visual effects, physical comedy and inventive choreography. Their performance features a fast-paced, athletic brand of movement. The group was formed in 2002 by Andy Horowitz and Greg O’Brien. They have performed on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” the 2002 MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon, MTV and Showtime. Galumpha’s choreography has won the Edinburgh Festival Critics’ Choice Award and the Moers International Comedy Arts Prize. Tickets are $21 for adults, $16 for WCU faculty and staff, and $7 for students and children. They can be purchased by calling the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828-227-2479 or online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. By Marlon W. Morgan 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS GoFundMe account created for business staff member, husband A GoFundMe account has been established for Liz Jones, a sta member in WCU’s College of Business, and her husband. The couple’s home was lost to fire Saturday, Jan. 2. The account can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/6thapkzg For more information, contact Teresa Starrs in the College of Business at 828-227-2887 or tastarrs@wcu.edu. 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 20, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Hands-on stream research is used as a teaching tool as sixth-graders from Cullowhee Valley School measure the characteristics of Jackson County’s Caney Fork in 2013. TOP STORIES Grant funds WCU partnership for hands-on teaching, learning and a creek runs through it A partnership between the Highlands Biological Station, Highlands Biological Foundation, Cullowhee Valley School and Western Carolina University’s biology department and School of Teaching and Learning will turn a section of Jackson County’s Cullowhee Creek into a laboratory, elementary students into researchers, and create a greater community appreciation of the importance of mountain streams. The “Watershed Moments: Exploring Science and Math in Cullowhee Creek” project will begin in March, funded by a three-year $159,123 grant from the Student Science Enrichment Program of the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund to enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education that takes place outside of traditional classroom time. The private foundation, headquartered at Research Triangle Park, is dedicated to the advancement of biomedical sciences by supporting research and education. Its Student Science Enrichment Program supports diverse programs with a goal to enable primary and secondary students to participate in creative scientific activities. The project will be based at Cullowhee Valley School, located near the WCU campus, and involve hands-on teaching and learning about dierent facets of aquatic ecology, including the biology, physics and chemistry of streams and rivers. Students in the afterschool program for fourth-, fth- and sixth-graders will participate in data collection and analysis, introducing them to scientic inquiry and fostering a holistic understanding of the importance of watersheds, said Karen Kandl, associate director of Highlands Biological Station, a University of North Carolina system facility administered by WCU. Cullowhee Creek ows north through Jackson County and its watershed covers 15,062 acres of steep, mountainous terrain and is a signicant water resource for the county. The creek empties into the Tuckaseigee River, which ows into the Little Tennessee and Tennessee Rivers, and nally the Mississippi River before entering the Gulf of Mexico. Program leaders Kandl and Highlands Biological Station director Jim Costa will team up with graduate students from WCU’s biology department and a lead teacher at Cullowhee Valley School for the after-school program. “This project will connect the local to the global, with students examining real-world issues here at home, and help them think about potential solutions,” Kandl said. “It will be an excellent opportunity for students to engage with scientists and professionals, see the connection of STEM elds in their lives, and gain condence in their abilities to collect and present data. They will examine levels of sediment, the velocity of water ow, gauge the health of aquatic life in the creek, and see the impact of land use. And I believe there is a real opportunity for all this to spark some interest in math and science that could lead to future careers.” In addition to purchasing equipment and materials, the grant will provide stipends for internships, teacher involvement and related project costs. Participants will gather annually at Highlands Biological Station to assess their progress and share their results with the community. “Students will be studying an approximately 7-mile reach of the Cullowhee Creek,” said Lora Cox, the Cullowhee Valley School teacher who will be coordinating the project with WCU. “While many opportunities are present to study the stretch of creek that ows behind Cullowhee Valley School, we want students to study various sections of the creek in order to analyze and compare data.” About 20 students will experience STEM education through outdoor learning, she said. “They will be able to connect and work closely with experts in stream ecology, hydrology and other environmental elds through scientic investigation and face-to-face discussions. This is a long-term project three years which will allow for continuity and in-depth study, and these types of authentic experiences allow students to investigate and provide possible solutions for real issues found in our watersheds.” The project is intended to serve as a basis for a lifetime of thinking scientically and meaningfully about the environment. Agreeing with Kandl, she said, “It will open up a world of career possibilities in the fields of science and math.” For more information on the Watershed Moments project, contact Kandl at 828-526- 2602 or kkandl@email.wcu.edu. By Geoff Cantrell 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 © 2016 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home January 13, 2016 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Adriel A. Hilton ACHIEVEMENTS Hilton to receive NASPA, ACPA awards in March Adriel Hilton, assistant professor in the Department of Human Services and director of WCU’s Higher Education Student Aairs Program, will be presented the “Men and Masculinities Knowledge Community – Newly Published Research Award” from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators at the organization’s annual conference March 12-16 in Indianapolis. In addition, he will receive the 2016 Harry Canon Outstanding Professional Award from the Standing Committee on Men and Masculinities of the American College Personnel Association during its annual convention in Montreal, March 6-9. A year ago, Hilton was recognized as the 2014 Outstanding Professional Contribution and Distinguished Scholar honoree for the North Carolina College Personnel Association for his research related to black males in postsecondary education, black graduate education and historically black colleges and universities. Tags: Adriel Hilton 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 Calen