Mansfield University Blog

It was an historic day at MU when officials from throughout the county and from Harrisburg gathered to cut the ribbon officially recognizing the two new residence halls. There’s no moss under the ribbon through. Even as they made the official slice, Mansfield Auxiliary Corporation officials are making plans for phase 2 of the three-part project which includes the demolition of Cedar Crest and Hemlock this spring and the construction of another residence hall with suite style living scheduled to open in the Fall of 2013.

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After two years and thousands of hours of work of committees composed of more than 70 faculty, staff,, students and administrators,the Middle States Self Study is done.  The 115-page study encompasses every area of university operations and is done once every 10 years. 

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Prepare for The Sound of Music beginning March 1-4  the celebrated musical is directed and designed  by Mike Crum. Musical direction for the cast and orchestra is by Sheryl Monkelien with assistance from Peggy Dettwiler.  Here’s the video promo.

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It’s not everyday that a group of nuns stops by to serenade you, but that’s what happened earlier this week to retired Communication Prof Verne Lapps. The nuns, on loan from the upcoming MU Production of The Sound of Music, gave him an angelic 80th birthday greeting.

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Todd Douglas Bailey ’03 is creative services commercial producer at WENY-TV, now has a movie to his credit.  The Moretti House is an 82-minute thriller set in Elmira, NY. Here’s the trailer.

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Dr. William Goode, who brought music to life to thousands of freshmen and mentored hundreds of piano students, died Wednesday, Feb. 22.  His funeral will be in Birmingham but a memorial service will be held in Mansfield at a time to be announced.  Goode loved his Southern roots and was a true showman, both on stage and in the MU classroom where he taught from 1962-88.

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Finally, Terry’s Take.

The Sound of Music, the Rodgers & Hammerstein II hit that first hit Broadway in 1959, comes to the Straughn stage  March 1-4.

The MU production celebrates the 45th anniversary of the movie, which won five Oscars. It is directed and designed by Mike Crum with musical direction by Sheryl Monkelien and assistance from Peggy Dettwiler.

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Judith Sornberger, English, read from her newest collection of Poems, Wal-Mart Orchid, to a full classroom of students and colleagues this week.   We have a couple more videos that we’ll be saving for National Poetry Month.

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Though Ali Soufan ’94, has been featured on 60 Minutes, Frontline and the Colbert Report among others, most people agree that you are really there when you appear on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.

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Three generations of MU folks are featured in Pamela Parker’s Southern comedy Second Samuel opening this Friday at the Warehouse Theatre in the Deane Center, Wellsboro.  The cast includes English Professor Emeritus Larry Biddison, Math Prof Linda Iseri and student T.J. Maro.

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In case you missed it, here are five things that President Obama’s 2013 Budget would do for higher education.

On the other end of the spectrum, the classroom, Moshe Kai Cavalin,  has written the book We Can Do. Moshe is graduating from UCLA this year at age 14.

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Joe Gilbert, who was head coach at MU during the 2000 season, has been named the Indianna Colts’ assistant offensive line coach.

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Here’s the latest episode of Terry’s Take.  See if you recognize his surroundings.

Former MU coach Bill Clark recently came out of retirement become assistant coach of a third-grade boys recreation team in Strongsville, OH.

He probably won’t be jogging around the gym too much, but he will bring a lot of life experience.  Coach Bill is 85.  He coached here for four years beginning in 1963-64.  Here’s a column our SID Steve McCloskey wrote about Coach Clark a few years ago.

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The Geography/Geology Department has a blog, appropriately called “From the Department that Rocks” and a Facebook site.  The blog features an interesting series of videos in which students talk about their experiences.

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Lorena Beniquez’s new documentary, Williamsport Art Attack recently aired on WVIA TV, a PBS station.  Lorena, ’89, worked in LA for 20 years in public relations before returning to her Dallas, PA, home.  She was featured in this Times Leader story.  I’ll let you know when the documentary is posted online.

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Lorena also made headlines last week when she invited Snooki and the Jersey Shore crew to take up residence in Jersey Shore, PA.  Lorena is commissioner of the Central PA Film office.  She issued the invitation after officials in Hoboken, NJ refused to issue a permit for the reality show.  But, in maybe a not-so-cruel twist, Jersey Shore officials said they did not want the reality show in their town since they did not reflect the values of Jersey Shore, PA.  So, from a PR guy’s standpoint, I congratulate Lorena for getting the PA town into the national media twice.

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For even more news delivered straight from campus to your monitor, check the latest  Terry’s Take.

Recently Facebook unveiled a new way of ranking the popularity of Facebook brands.  Take a minute and see if you can guess the top 10 brands.  The post will also show you Facebook’s new way of ranking.

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Tomorrow’s college students are coming forth, tablets in hand.  This is a basic overview of what’s happening in some elementary schools and a glimpse into what college students of the future will be expecting in the classroom.

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I love Clint Eastwood.  He and Chrysler are to be commended for Halftime in America which has topped 6 million hits.  Obviously, it’s a message Americans have been waiting for.

The next couple years on campus are going to be full of demolition, construction, modification and improvement across campus.  And Interim President Allan Golden talks about all of it in the most recent episode of Conversations.

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The latest edition of The Mansfieldian is online with a cover story about retired FBI Agent Ali Soufan ’94 and his book The Black Banners, co-written  with Daniel Freedman.

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The Rock Wall, which has been discussed and anticipated for years has overcome its obstacles and is being erected in the Kelchner Fitness Center.  Here’s a promo video and a still shot overview of its current status.

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The North Hall Library now has downloadable e-books.  If you have an ereader, “check it out.”

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Lilace Guignard’s poem “Belief,” which appeared in The Kerf Fall 2011, a publication of the College of the Redwoods, Del Norte Center for Writing. The poem has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, which is among the the most coveted literary honors in the small press world.  Lilace is an instructor in the Outdoor Recreational Leadership program.

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The International Film Series sponsored by the MU Library and the English & Modern Languages Department will begin Feb. 20.  Here is  a complete list of films, times and location.  After the initial screening, the films will be added to the library for everyone to access.

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Congratulations to Tim Huck, who has been named Student Entrepreneur of the Year by the Mansfield University Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Tim is a Wellsboro native.

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For the latest news updates via video, spent a minute with Terry’s Take.