Mansfield University Blog

Hemlock was home to two generations of MU students.  It became history this week when equipment with teeth the size of Godzilla started chewing at it.  The steel and concrete will be separated and the concrete will be pulverized to provide a base for the new suite style resident hall to be built on the site in the coming year.  (How many people know there was a fully equipped fallout shelter beneath Hemlock?)

Terry Day took some video which he’s editing now. When it’s finished, we’ll posted it and let you know.

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Fifty three students in the MU Concert Choir will participate in the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, OH, July 4-14.  They’ll compete in three categories: Mixed Youth Choir, Musica Sacra and Folklore.  The choir was invited to go straight to the championship rounds as they won two championships and placed second in the Mixed Youth Choir category at the World Choir Games three years ago in Graz, Austria.

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The Spirit & Pride of Pennsylvania MU Mountie Marching Band is making final preparations to perform in London August 1-9.  Here are details about the preparations and how to support the band as they perform across the pond.

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We’re continuing to add to our  MU Pinterest site with dozens of new photos, videos and written content.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

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Alumni Weekend, June 8-9, will be here before you can say “1962″ which is the class being recognized this year.  For details check in here.

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Admissions Counselor Dave Empet was the featured guest on PAhomepage, produced by WBRE in Scranton-Wilkes/Barre.  After listening to him extol the virtues of MU, I wanted to enroll.

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A group of visiting high school students got a surprise when the Mountie Mascot ambled through the library during a PR photo shoot.  Their cell phones came out in force for this impromptu photo op.

Congratulations to all the graduating seniors.  It seems like this year I’m saying goodbye to a lot of students I’ve worked with and grown close to, including Kris Dumschat who was incredibly active during his years here.  Clint Decker is a multi-talented young man who contributed much and will continue his studies at Alfred.  Sarah Peterson, my student intern this semester was a joy to work with as she learned audio and video media and produced a group of student testimonials.  And a fond farewell to Richard Smith whose super quiet personality masks a talented and ambitious individual.

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I’ve mentioned our new Facebook  Timeline to which we continue add as time allows.  This is really the best place to get highlights of MU history.  For longer entries, check out our Mansfield History site which we created during the Sesquicentennial in 2007.

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Know any registered nurses who want to advance their careers? Tell them about our new online RN to BSN program.  It’s entirely online and includes general education courses, so they can get the complete package right here.

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The headline that reads “Women’s Chorus Conquers Carnegie Hall” is no exaggeration.  The chorus, under the direction of Peggy Dettwiler, was invited to sing in a special performance of The Sound of Music at Carnegie Hall in April, along with such stars as Brooke Shields.  Their performance won raves from the audience and critics alike.  The show’s conductor,  Rob Fisher, saw them during the international competition last year and was so impressed he invited them to perform in New York, all expenses paid.

Michele Schlegel and her Art & Design Guild created sidewalk chalk art during their Sketch & Crawl event last Friday.  They started at Manser and worked their way up to Allen Hall – a four minute walk on foot; a day long journey when you’re on your knees.  Michele and Martha Campbell are advisors of the organization.   According to Michele the goal is “to get people across campus sketching –people who may not normally take time to draw. “  They also want to create activity, conversation and excitement on campus, which they succeeded at in a most colorful way.

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The University Bookstore held a Big Hat contest in honor of the Kentucky Derby. Lee Wright posed outside with his red cup entry.  The bookstore staff –Joe Mizdail, Connie Brant, Donna Casselberry and the ubiquitous Kris Dumschat posed for a shot.

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The MU Blog will continue at various intervals during the summer as I find things to share.   Thanks to all our readers across the country for sharing your interest and love of all things MU!

Happy birthday Chester Bailey who celebrated the big  1-0-0 April 29.  Chester, who graduated from Mansfield Sate Teachers College in 1933, has been the Mansfield historian for decades and was a key player in getting Rt. 15 to run through Mansfield.  It was Chester who kept alive the fact that the world’s first night football game was played here, which eventually gave birth to the 1890s Weekend.  Not resting on his laurels, he recently completed the volume Bits & Pieces: Mansfield From the Beginning. It’s available from The History Center on Main St., Marge’s Country Corner and Northwest Savings, all in downtown Mansfield.

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A big thanks to senior Kris Dumschat who has been working furiously on the new MU Facebook Timeline which highlights milestones in our history from 1857 to the present.  Check it out and “like” us if you haven’t already.    The timeline is on the right.

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Judith Sornberger, English, stopped by the studio for a podcast interview about her new chapbook, Wal-Mart Orchid. As always with Judith, it was a fun, insightful and enlightening discussion.  She also read several poems and talked about their inception.  We also have a couple videos of her reading.

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Congratulations to the seven-member Concert Choir who performed in The Sound of Music at Carnegie Hall with Brooke Shields.  Scroll down to the last shot to see them.

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New head football coach Graham Johnsen is featured in WBRE’s PA Home Page.  Graham talks about the types of players he’s looking for, values and the nature of sprint football.

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Congratulations, too, to Emily Rose Cole and Christine Rinnert, English, who returned with honors from the recent Sigma Tau Delta Annual Conference in New Orleans.   When MU students are awarded scholarships and honorable mentions from an international conference this large,  we need to take a moment to appreciate the high quality of our students and our faculty.

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One of the latest scams on Facebook involves supposedly leaked sex tapes, including Miley Cyrus which is viral now.  Don’t succumb to the temptation because it takes you to a page designed to look like FB which contains malware.

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The Mountie was out and about recently and paid a visit to North Hall and our creed.