The Reporter, November 2003

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.Combined Campaign Continues to Nov. 14 This year's State Employees Com­bined Campaign is nearing the half-way mark of its $29,000 goal. Employees can still submit their donation forms for the weekly drawings and are eligible for the grand prize drawing after the campaign closes. The SECC team appreciates your gifts that will make so many things possible for indiviudals who need help. November 10, 2003 News for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University Ribbon Cutting Opens New Center Snipping the ribbon to officially open the Center for Applied Technology are, left to right, Phil Walker, chairman, Western's board of trustees; U. S. Rep. Charles Taylor; Heather List, president, Western's Student Government Association; and Chancellor John Bardo. The Center for Applied Technology was officially opened during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, November 1. More than 200 people witnessed the event and participated in self-guided tours through the recording and television studios, engineering laboratories for the design and testing of optical communication devices and systems, the center for computer-controlled manufactur­ing machining technology, and a center for the study of business-to-business sales. Designed as a world-class testing, development, and teaching facility to serve business in the region and to prepare students for careers in emerging high-tech, "new economy" industries throughout Western North Carolina, the center was built with nearly $8 million in federal funding, secured with the help of U.S. Rep. Charles H. Taylor. Western broke ground for the 28,000-square-foot-facility in December 1999 and construction began in November 2001. Ken Burbank, associate professor of engineering technology (right), explains some of the innovations in engineering technology to Rep. Charles Taylor during a tour of the new facility. The engineering technology department also showcased its renovated area on the ground floor of the adjacent Belk Building. Calm Returns To Campus After Fires Western Carolina University is returning to normal after a series of early morning fires in Scott Hall last week disrupted campus life and forced the 700 residents of the hall to evacuate in their pajamas and slippers for three consecutive days. A student resident assistant for the hall's fifth floor on the west wing has been charged in connection with the three incidents and is no longer on campus. No one was injured in any of the fires. In each case, the evacuation process worked smoothly, and the fire alarms and sprinklers activated as they were designed to do. As a sense of relief spread across a weary campus with the report of a student's confession, Chancellor John Bardo praised the entire university community for its response to the three-day crisis, including administrators, faculty, and staff who called the family of every student in Scott Hall to reassure parents and guardians that their children were safe. "Additionally, several members of the Western community offered to open their homes to provide safe havens for these students, if it had been necessary for them to relocate. I want to thank them for their generous spirit," Bardo said. Bardo commended members of the Cullowhee Fire Department and Sylva Fire Department. "These are volunteers who put themselves in harm's way for the protection of the people of this county. Their professionalism, caring, and quick response are a living symbol of what it means to be a part of this mountain community," he said. Water Treatment Plant Chancellor Bardo visits with students outside Scott Hall last Thursday (kneeling, right). Bardo singled out staff members from the Departments of Residential Living, University Police, and Counseling and Psychological Services for service "above and beyond" to the students immediately impacted by the fires. "These folks probably consider what they have accomplished over the last several days to be 'just doing their duty.' What I witnessed was the highest level of professionalism, caring, and true concern for the health and welfare of every individual student—at all hours of the day and night," he said. Receives Recognition Drink all the water you want on campus—it's good, clean water. Western's water treatment facility won one of 14 North Carolina Area Wide Facility Optimization Program awards given for 2002 by the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources' Division of Environmental Health for effective turbidity removal. Turbidity is the amount of sand, dirt, and other organic and inorganic materials in the water before it is processed through final filters. The state requires 95 percent removal of this particulate matter. Western's treatment plant routinely removes 100 percent, according to Kenny Cook, chief water plant operator. Western received the top prize of the 14 awards given at a seminar in Forest City on October 22. This is the first year of the award, with the 116 water plants in North Carolina vying for recognition. "This award was not possible without the support of the university, my department, and my staff," said Cook. Joining Cook in caring for the water system are Kristy Williams, Marty Prow, and Chris Korsgard. "We test the water everyday and baby the water plant like a newborn," said Cook. "We care very much about putting out good water." Cook has a degree in environmental science and also is in charge of wastewater treatment. Marching Band to Perform At National Championship Western's Pride of the Mountains Marching Band will perform at the prestigious Bands of America Grand National Championships, a showcase for the nation's top high school marching bands, at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis November 13-15. This marks the second appearance by the Pride of the Mountains as an invited exhibition band at the Grand Nationals. Western's marching musicians performed in Indianapolis in 1998. Snare drum line struts its stuff as the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band entertains a home audience. • T h e R e po r t e r Monday, November 10- Tuesday, November I I Catamount golf—WCU-Sapphire Valley Intercollegiate. Country Club of Sapphire, Cashiers. (227-7338) Tuesday, November I I Training Tuesday—"Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace," Professional Development Track, (other sessions November 18 and December 2). 1-4 p.m. Room 104, Killian Building, (www.wcu.edu/hr/ training or 227-2388) Veterans' Day observance—with Gold Star Mothers, 5 p.m., lawn, UC. Rain location: Grandroom, UC. (293-8036) National French Week event— Isabelle Huppert, Playing Life, documentary about life of actress Isabell Huppert, 6 p.m., Room 121, McKee Building. (227-7241) Lady Catamount volleyball—vs. Appalachian State, Southern Conference match, 7 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Catamount Concert Series—Lillian Buss Pearson, piano, 8 p.m., RH. (227-7242) Wednesday, November 12 Workshop—addressing conservation easements and other land preserva­tion techniques, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., RRAC. (919-515-3723) Appalachian Lunchtime Cultural Series—poet, essayist, and fiction writer John Lane, Wofford College, speaking about Chattooga: Descending to Calendar November 10-23, 2003 Look for regular updates on the university's Web site at www.wcu.edu/cal.html into the Myth of Deliverance River. Bring lunch, 12:15 p.m., auditorium, MHC. (227-7129) Thursday, November 13 Workshop—Americans with Disabilities Act training. Required for all EPA and SPA employees, 10:15- 11:15 a.m., Room 104, Killlian Building. (227-2388, registration) Open House—Western's Programs in Asheville, 5:30-7 p.m., Holiday Inn, Airport Road, Asheville. (251-6642 or 800-369-9854) Workshop—Leave No Trace Awareness Workshop, 7-9:30 p.m., Base Camp Cullowhee, UC. (227-7206) Speakers—MTV Road Rules: "Speak on Diversity," featuring Shane and Rachel, participants on the popular reality show, speaking about their own road through life, 8 p.m., RRAC. $(227-7206) Friday, November 14 Workshop—Americans with Disabilities Act training, noon- 1 p.m., Room 104, Killian Building. (227-2388, registration) *** Now Showing*** Exhibitions: Mountain Heritage Center Migration of the Scotch-Irish People. Permanent exhibit. North Carolina Women Making History.Through December 1. The Face of Appalachia: Portraits from the Mountain Farm. Through December 2. The People of the Land. Through May 2004. Belk Gallery Christopher Rauschenberg: Rephotographing Atge t. Through November 20. Chelsea Gallery Art Student League Exhibit. Opening November 12, through December 11. Lady Catamount volleyball—vs. College of Charleston, Southern Conference match, 7 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Friday, November 14- Sunday, November 16; Thursday, November 20- Sunday, November 23 Theatre—The University Players present The Lion in Winter by James Goldman, 7:30 p.m. week nights and Satuday nights and 2 p.m. weekend matinees, Hoey Auditorium. $ (227-7491) Saturday, November 15 Lady Catamount volleyball—vs. The Citadel, Southern Conference match, 2 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Sunday, November 16 Lady Catamount basketball—vs. Charlotte Starts, exhibition, 2 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Monday, November 17- Friday, November 21 International Education Week— featuring classroom visits by interna­tional students, photo contest, international career fair, and more. Detailed scheduled to be announced. (227-7494 or 227-3433) Monday, November 17 Workshop—Americans with Disabili­ties Act training, 2:30-3:30 p.m. and 3:45-4:45 p.m., MHC. (227-2388, registration) Catamount Concert Series—Hugo Wolf song recital, celebrating the works of this great German Romantic composer, 8 p.m., RH. (227-7242) Tuesday, November 18 Training Tuesday—"Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace," 1-4 p.m., Room 104, Killian Building. (www.wcu.edu/hr/training or 227-2388) Wednesday, November 19 Summit—"Catching the American Dream: A Summit on Entrepreneur-ship." Keynote address by former N.C. Governor James G. Martin, RRAC. (227-3173 or 227-3863) Concert—Ulali, Native American women's trio blending a capella song with traditional and contemporary sounds from Native America. Lectures, Concerts, and Exhibitions Series, 7:30 p.m., RH.$ (227-7242) Thursday, November 20 Concert—Wind Ensemble, 8 p.m., RH. (227-7242) Friday, November 21- Saturday, November 22 Alumni weekend—second annual Alumni Band weekend. (227-7608) Friday, November 21- Sunday, November 23 Tournament—Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament, Chattanooga, Tennessee. (227-7338) Friday, November 21 Open House—for prospective students and their families, registration, 8:30 a.m.; information fair, 8:30-10 a.m., concourse, RRAC. (227-7317). Saturday, November 22 Catamount football—vs. Gardner- Webb, 2 p.m., WS/BW. (227-7338) Sunday, November 23 Concert—Western Carolina Civic Orchestra, 4 p.m., RH. $ (227-7242) Key: $ - Admission fee; HA - Hoey Auditorium; HFR - H.F. Robinson Administration Building; HS/CF - Hennon Stadium/Childress Field; MHC - Mountain Heritage Center; NSA - Natural Sciences Auditorium; RRAC - Ramsey Regional Activity Center, RH - Recital Hall, Coulter Building; BB - Belk Building; UC - A.K. Hinds University Center; UOC - University Outreach Center; WS/BW - Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field; SSF - Schrader Soccer Field. Submissions: Send news items and calen dar notices to WCU Calendar, 1601 Ramsey Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 or e-mail to Reporter@email.wcu.edu. Submit items for th e university's online calendar at least one week prior to the event. N o v e m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 0 3 • T h e R e p o r te r A Dwaun Warmack, director of multicultural affairs, and Jamel Hodge, National Pan-Hellenic Council adviser from the University of Georgia, will co-present "Compare and Contrast the National Pan-Hellenic Council at Historically Black Colleges and Universi­ties vs. Predominantly White Institutions" at the National Black Greek Leadership Conference this fall. They will discuss the difficulties or lack of programming and conflicts that black Greek-lettered organizations face with other minority organizations such as NAACP, black student unions, and black programming boards. A Erin K. McNelis, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, is the third faculty member to be accepted into Project NExT, a nationally competitive program for new professors who hold doctoral degrees in mathematics. Each year, six faculty members from colleges and universities throughout the nation have the opportunity to become Project NExT Fellows. The NExT program, which stands for New Experiences in Teaching, provides professional development for professors interested in improving the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics. Project NExT is a program of the Mathematics Association of America, funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation. A Richard Starnes, assistant professor of history, had his book Southern Journeys: Tourism, History and Culture in the Modern South published in July by the University of Alabama Press. A Scott Philyaw, associate professor of history, will have his book Virginia's Western Visions: Political and Cultural Expansion on an Early America n Frontier published by the University of Tennessee Press in December. It studies the ways Virginians viewed frontier settlement and western expansion in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A Laura Cruz, assistant professor of history, has written The Paradox of Prosperity: The Leiden Bookseller's Guild and the Distribution of Books in the Golden Age, which is an examination of the book trade in 17th-century Holland. Oak Knoll Press has the book scheduled for publication in May. A Tyler Blethen, professor of history and director of the Mountain Heritage Center, along with Richard Straw of Radford University, edited High Mountains Rising: Appalachia in Time and Place. A compre­hensive volume exploring the latest scholarship on Appalachian history and culture, it will be published by the Univer­sity of Illinois Press in 2004. Blethen also is author of a chapter titled "Antebellum Appalachia." A Mario Gaetano, professor of music, was a first place winner in the recent 2003 Composition Contest sponsored by the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs. His composition "Three Inventions for Flute and Percussion" was voted best chamber composition and awarded the Hinda Honigman Composer Cup at the awards luncheon in Winston-Salem. With thousands of clubs throughout the nation, the North Carolina Federation includes 18 clubs. A Ron Rash, Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Studies, recently was honored at Emory and Henry College's 22nd annual Literary Festival. The college is located in Emory, Virginia. Newton Smith, associate professor of English, presented one of the sessions. The Reporter is published by the Office of Public Relati ons. Debie Connelly, editor. Mail faculty/staff no tes, events, notices, and changes of address to The Reporter, 1601 Ramsey Center, or send them via e-mail t o Reporter@email.wcu.edu. 1,800 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $329.15, or $0.18 per copy. Western Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity Institution. Reporter Office of Public Relations Publications Unit 1601 Ramsey Center Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CULLOWHEE, N.C. PERMIT NO. 1 N o v e m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 0 3 • T h e Re p o r t e r Reporter -BL a November 24, 2003 News for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University WNC Leaders Share Ideas for New Research,Technology Park at Western That's why the university is ta king steps to help people of the western region participate in the new knowledge-based economy of the 21sr century by providing the high-tech education they will need to be competitive and by attempting to stimulate the creation of new start-up businesses that will locate in WNC, he said. "We have heard it from parents all across the region— in Asheville, in Hendersonville, in Rutherfordton, in Murphy, and in all points in between: 'I want my son or daughter to be able to live in Western North Carolina, to stay in my community, to remain in my church, to live near the family, and to have a good job and have a good life,"' Bardo said. "The Millennial Campus will position the university to help the people of the region as never before." During the summit, Eva Klein, whose consulting firm is nationally recognized for its work in planning and Continued on page 4 Western's much-anticipated Millennial Campus took another step toward reality Wednesday, November 5, as some 200 leaders from Western North Carolina's business, industry, education, and government sectors shared their ideas for creation of a new venture to nurture research and technology. The Millennial Campus is a major component of Western's efforts to serve as the cultural, social, economic, and environmental engine for the mountain region, Chancellor John Bardo said at a regional summit held in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. "We keep seeing manufacturing plants closing all around us, and we keep seeing people losing their jobs," Bardo said. "These are permanent losses. This is not just the result of an economic downturn. What we are seeing is a fundamental restructuring of the economy, and those jobs are gone for good. They are not coming back." Summit Examines Impact of Small Business Nearly 500 people from all walks of life gathered Wednesday, November 19, at Western to exchange ideas on how individual entrepreneurial spirit and the development of small businesses may offer the best hope for a North Carolina economy battered by the loss of thousands of industrial jobs. "Catching the American Dream: A Summit on Entrepreneurship," sponsored by WCU's Public Policy Institute and held in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center, centered on examples of entrepreneurial success stories. The founders of three flourishing Western North Carolina businesses—Roger Former Governor James Martin Bartlett of Western Builders, Leanne Campbell of Blue Ridge Motion Pictures, and Payson Kennedy of Nantahala Outdoor Center—provided a first­hand look at the trials and tribulations of growing a new business. Jim and Jo Ann Carland, co-directors of Western's academic programs in entrepreneurship, discussed the fact that many small business ventures fail because the entrepreneur has the dream and the desire, but not the skills. "Just because you like to cook doesn't mean you can run a r estaurant," Jim Carland said. Asheville Mayor Charles Worley and Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines discussed strategies adopted by their cities to boost entrepreneurship. In the summit's keynote address, former North Carolina Governor James Martin commended the efforts of entrepreneurs, but also reminded the crowd that small business is one part of what should be a broad-based economic development strategy. "Some people are saying, 'don't worry about industry or big business because that buffalo hunt is over.' I disa gree," Martin said. "You have to stand up for jobs in Western North Carolina, for big business, small business, any size business in between. We need high-tech, low-tech, medium-tech, or there won't be any new jobs in the region." Ribbon-cutting Ceremonies Return Bird, McKee Buildings to Service Western held ribbon-cutting ceremonies Friday, November 21, to unveil its newly renovated Bird and McKee buildings. Bird Building, which once served as Western's administration building, was built in 1960 and named after W. Ernest Bird, acting president of the university from 1947 to 1949 and president from 1956 to 1957. Prior to renovation, the facility was home to Western's regional outreach and economic development offices. Now redesigned to house both a state-of-the-art Student Health Center and Counseling and Psychological Services office, the structure has been rewired with current electrical and information technology systems. Changes incorporated to improve access include installation of air conditioning, reconfigured space, and renovated second floor. Western's historic McKee Building was constructed as a laboratory school in 1939 and named in honor of Gertrude Dills McKee, first woman to be elected to the North Carolina Senate and a two-term member of the university's board of trustees. Renovations have been completed to configure classrooms for modern collegiate instruction, install adequate wiring, improve access, and eliminate water intrusion on the ground floor. McKee Building provides instructional space for the Departments of History, Modern Foreign Languages, Anthropology and Sociology, and Social Work, including room for new programs in Cherokee Studies and forensic anthropology. The facility also now houses Western's Teaching Fellows Program and Speech and Hearing Center. Participating in t he ribbon-cutting at the Bird Building are (left to right) state Rep. Phil Haire; Western trustee Charles Worley; Debbie Beck, director of University Health Services; state Rep. Roger West; John Ritchie, director of Counseling and Psychological Services; Chancellor John W. Bardo, Bill Ha ggard, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs; and Western trustee Steve Warren. Cutting the ribbon on Western Carolina University's newly renovated McKee Building are (left to right) Michael Dougherty, dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions; state Rep. Phil Haire; Robert Vartabedian, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Will McKee of Cashiers; Western student Brandon Robinson; Chancellor John W. Bardo; university trustee Charles Worley;