Mansfield University Blog

English Professor Dr. Bruce Barton  passed away at his home Nov. 27  today following lengthy illness.  Bruce had been a part of the Department of English and Modern Languages since 1993 and was married to his colleague Dr. Judith Sornberger.  In 2009 for National Poetry Month, I did a podcast interview with Bruce about Edgar Allen Poe and “The Raven.”

Donations in Professor Barton’s memory may be made to the Second Chance Animal Sanctuaries in Wellsboro.

***

Dan Davis, who  served the university for 30 years in the print shop, passed away Nov. 20.  He retired in 1998 as director of Printing Services.  Dan loved fishing and was an avid runner, participating  in the Boston, New York, Chicago, Walt Disney World and the Wine Glass Marathons.

***

Interim President Dr. Allan Golden was honored with a reception Wednesday and a special Resolution of Appreciation from the Council of Trustees for his 22 months of service to MU, first as interim vice president for finance, then as interim president.

***

MU librarians Amanda Sanko and Nichole Book have created  Christmas trees packed with knowledge.  They assembled two trees out of volumes of The National Union Catalog, which are, appropriately, green.  “We’ve had a lot of comments about them from faculty and students, ” Amanda  said.  Nichole said they plan on creating the trees every year, perhaps sponsoring a decorating contest and other competitions.  Just goes to show that you should never judge a tree by its covers.

***

Want to know about the Dark Side of Interpersonal Communications? Public Speaking?  Human Sexuality?  Winter online courses begin  winter online courses Dec. 18.  Here’s a full list of courses and registration information.

***

And check out Terry’s Take for the latest weekly news.  Anyone know what floor he’s on?

***

Social Media Minute: 571 new websites are created every 60 seconds.

The seeds were planted for Sycamore and Spruce residence halls.  Officials for Phase 2 of the res hall project broke ground Wednesday, Aug. 23 on site.   Featured speaker was USDA Acting Deputy under Secretary Judith Canales.

Dr. Allan Golden interim president, outlined the history of the project which originally called for the halls to be done in 2014.  Now, through the efforts of Golden and, as he emphazied, “many, many others,” the halls will be completed in 2013.

(Photo credits:  Christie Martin & Thomas Thornton.)

***

In case you missed them, here are videos of the demolition of Hemlock and Cedar Crest.

***

The fall semester became official last Friday with Convocation.  Here are some images of the band and the picnic. More info to follow next week.

The Marching Band is back from a successful trip to Paris and London where they performed during the Olympics.  Here’s their second day video blog in shot Paris and narrated by band leader Adam Brennan.  He sums up the trip wonderfully when he says:  “All of this is a study in the importance of the arts and culture in society; the need to study and share the beauty of our cultures to build understanding and to move forward together.

***

The  Concert Choir won three Gold Medals at the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, OH in July.  The categories were Folklore, Mixed Youth Choir and Musica Sacra.  Here’s the full story and photos.

***

Two new academic programs were approved by the Board of Governors this summer.  The Associate of Applied Science in Natural Gas Production and BS in Safety Management both begin this semester.

At this time of year I see three stages of college life in the span of a few weeks.

For the vast majority people participating in the May commencement ceremonies it’s the most important day of their lives. I’m not talking about just the graduates.  For parents, grandparents, siblings, it’s a day of pride, of sharing  a huge accomplishment.  There are still a lot of students who are first generation college students  — the first in their family’s entire lineage to earn a college degree.
The enormity of that fact still overwhelms me.

***

During Alumni Weekend in June, dreams bow to memories.  Alumni don’t just bring back memories, they bring them alive as they point to a window in North Hall and talk about where they lived and how uneven the hardwood hall floors were and how in the winter the radiators were so hot they had to open the windows.  And in all recountings, what was once a frustration or a problem is now a fond memory.

I hosted the Class of ’72 during Alumni Weekend. I’m a 1971 alum so we had a lot in common. Many of the women were at the forefront of the Women’s Liberation Movement.  They remain strong ladies with a great sense of humor.   I met Carla Rineer who shares my passion for books. She shares her passion daily in the classroom as a professor at Millersville University. We are now, of course, friends on Facebook.

***

Completing the circle are the entering freshmen who are beginning the journey toward their dreams.  (And college isn’t just about education; it’s attaining the academic knowledge and social skills to make dreams reality).  I watch groups of parents and children pass on their way from Manser to Straughn, trying to keep all the information and directions straight.  One part of orientation that we don’t talk about is the visitors’ initiation into all the steps and hills of what everyone agrees is a beautiful campus.

I hope that every student and parent comes here with the same passion and enthusiasm that Barbara Liszcz and her daughter, Chelsea brought with them.  Reading Barbara’s  blog gives you a renewed appreciation for what a special place Mansfield University is.

***

Good luck, graduates.

Thanks for the memories, alumni.

Welcome, incoming freshmen.  You’ll be an alum before you know it.

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

Just a reminder that the Middle States team will be on campus beginning this weekend.  For a quick refresher course on some MU basics, check these links.  This news release encapsulates what Middle States is and the work that has been done over the past three years here.  And this overview contains everything you need to know about the once-in-a-decade visit.

Finally, remember the creed:  Culture, Character, Scholarship, Service.

***

We’re into Pinterest! We just created a board with images of North Hall.  Feel free to repin them.  We’ll be creating more boards in the near future.  If you have ideas of boards you’d like to see, let me know.

***

The MU String Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Sarch, will perform a program featuring the Mozart Symphony No. 29 in A Major Friday, March 30 at 8 p.m. in Steadman Theatre.

***

Congratulations to ASTA Chapter receiving the Most Improved Student Chapter Award.

***

Sheila Kasperek sends us an update on her latest digitization projects:

The Cadence – A publication from the music department. 1929-1942.  “Some really great stuff in there,”  Sheila says.

Older issues of the Password from 1928-1940.  Several years are missing.  If any alumni out there for some reason saved their Password, let Sheila know.

Finally, links to all the online archives are on this page.

***

The 70 and 80 degree weather has flowers blooming and trees budding.  Students shed their winter jackets for shorts six weeks earlier than usual, and the grounds crew is already cleaning, spreading mulch and getting a head start to beautify the campus.  We’ll have some photos over the next couple weeks.

***

Finally, I just received info that a really popular country act will be performing here in late April.  Hopefully next week I can share  names and dates.

It’s Homecoming Weekend at MU.  It’s 70 degrees with cloudless skies and two days’ worth of activities.

***

Congratulations to Adam Murtland and Jake Burdick on this outstanding video promoting Homecoming 2011 and the game against Navy.

***

You can see, from this video of the Spirit & Pride of PA Mountie Marching Band,  why the Olympics are calling them.

***

In this episode of Conversations, author Bill Robertson ’72 talks about his collections of ghost stories and tells some scary — and hilarious — tales revolving around his days as a Mansfield State College undergraduate.

***

Every year, Sarah, the ghost of North Hall, seems to pop up in a magazine or web page somewhere.  This year she’s featured in collegexpress.com in an article on “Scary Stories.”

***

A warm, light rain, leaves hinting they’re about to change, the rising mist.  I have a wonderful view from my office of a beautiful campus.

***

The new suites and semi-suites residence halls continue to progress.  Students are scheduled to move in during the January 2012 semester.

***

With this episode of Terry’s Take, you get the news and the beautiful view.

Are your pigs gathering sticks?  Crickets in the chimney?  Or maybe an abundance of acorns.  Here’s a Farmer’s Almanac list of folk methods of predicting a rough winter.

Here’s a Festival wrap up from MU Choir Director Peggy Dettwiler, sent Sunday, July 10.  Congratulations to all!

Dear Friends of the MU Concert Choir:
I am so proud to report how beautifully the Concert Choirs sang in all five categories in which they participated in the International Choral Festival (Eisteddfod) in Llangollen, Wales. We won prizes in three of the five performances! Here are the rankins with a few of the judges’ comments:

Youth Choirs- 2nd place (350 pounds in prize money)
1. Cantilon Chamber Choir from Canada
2. Mansfield University Concert Choir from USA (1/2 point difference from first place!)
3. DePaul University A Cappella Choir from USA

“This is a first class choir. Terrific rhythmic drive. We sensed and admired the pride the choir had in their soloists.”
Mixed Choirs – 2nd place (550 pounds in prize money)
1. Adventist University of the Philippines Ambassadors
2. Mansfield University Concert choir, USA
3. CFL from Cardiff, Wales.,
“Captivating performance. Lovely warm tone. Observed every possible detail of articulation. Steadiness of your rhythm was outstanding, helped by your very musical pianist. The dynamic contours you produced were very powerful.”
Folk Showcase – did not place in top three.
We had not planned to participate in this category but were listed in the program. So we decided to perform some of our favorite selections: star in the East, The Road Home, and I Want Jesus to Walk With Me. Dancers/singers from South Korea, India and England were the winners.
“A beautiful sounding choir with a powerful cohesive sound. The presentation of each piece was done with great musicality and panache! This was an enjoyable performance of a very high standard. However, we did feel you should have added another element into your performances.” (Such as dancing or costumes).
Women’s Choir — 1st place. (1,100 pounds in prize money)
1. Mansfield University Concert Choir – USA
2. Cantilon Chamber Choir – Canada
3. Bel Canton – England
“A beautiful transparent and elegant sound texture was created and dynamics were rendered true to the integrity of the style period. Elegant conducting” (tribute to Hingrid who conducted the first piece by Schubert) “Dynamics were rendered very careful with great insight. Performed with panache and true to style.”

Male Choirs – did not place
Choirs from England and Wales won the competition, but our men sang beautifully. We have not yet received the individual comments. However, the chief juror spoke from the podium about the male choir tradition and alluded to the fact that one of the choirs featured men from a mixed choir and not an official male chorus organization.
Vocal Solo competition for age 21years or older
Here we had six out of ten of our students qualify to perform in this very competitive category! (Melanie DeJesus, Derek Gracey, Michael Hogue, Jocyelyn Raychel, Derrek Start and Nick Webb.) There were 24 singers competing, most of whom were much older!  A soprano and a tenor from Wales won 1st and 2nd place, and Derrek Stark (age 21) placed 3rd.  This is a remarkable achievement.  Several of the jurors commented on his potential for a wonderful career as a tenor.

Lastly, because our women’s Choir placed first, we qualified to perform in the Choir of the World Championship on Saturday night, along with four other choirs from the Philippines and England for an audience of 4,500 people.  While we did not win the top crown (it was given to the wonderful choir from the Philippines),  many in the audience congratulated our women for a fabulous performance.

Mansfield University can be very proud of the achievement of our students!

Tonight we celebrate together from Kilkenny, Ireland!

Peggy Dettwiler

Editor’s Note:  Here’s a collection of videos of the choirs during their performances and a large collection of photos taken by Brad Rissmiller.

Deb Kachel and her staff’s research into the value of investment in libraries appeared in the London Daily and Sunday Express recently. Up to 360 libraries in England may close because of budget cuts. Kachel, a professor in the School Library & Information Technologies Department, headed a study of 22 states and a Canadian province. “Quality school library programs impact student achievement,” she said. “The research shows clearly that schools that support their library programs give their students a better chance to succeed.”

The full story of Kachel’s study appears on UPI.com

***
MU and our students are cited in an article outlining the successful volunteer effort to save the YMCA in Elmira, NY.

***
MU is highlighted on the Stamped Asphalt website. These were the folks who had the fascinating, noisy machines creating all the stamped areas on campus. It’s good to know we had a company that takes obvious pride in their work.

***
Does the new technology really make a difference in teaching and education? That’s the question posed by The Chronicle. The answer is in its new report, The Digital Campus (which you can get in a digital format for $6.95.)
***
Former VP for Finance Mike Reid has settled in at Angelo State University and is highlighted in this feature.   Sounds like it’s a good thing there’s no snow in San Angelo, Texas.

***
Rolling Stone is celebrating Bob Dylan’s birthday with several articles, including his 70 best songs. Hard to believe the bard is turning 70.

While I have a lot of Dylan favorites, I keep going back “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” from the soundtrack of Sam Peckinpah’s “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.”
What’s your favorite Bob Dylan song?  I know you have one.  In fact, most people I talk to have a hard time narrowing it down to one.

Send me a list of your favorites.

Yes, spending money on libraries does help student learning according to Debra Kachel, a professor in the School Library and Information Technologies Department at MU.  Kachel and a group of researchers gathered 23 studies conducted around the U.S. and Canada and summarized the results.  “Quality school library programs impact student achievement,” she said.  “The research shows clearly that schools that support their library programs give their students a better chance to succeed.”  The studies included elementary, middle and high schools.  you can find the whole text at  “School Library Impact Studies Project.”

***

Speaking of libraries, the art exhibit area of North Hall is now a Video News Library.  Much credit for pushing the project along goes to recently retired Campus Technologies Director Connie Beckman.

***

MU music major Glen deGeorge and Accounting major Corey Rader, in between studies, have been working with their band Portland Senator to complete their album which should debut this summer.   I’ve worked with and interviewed a lot of students this year and came away each time glad that I met them.  Like Glen and Corey, they are all positive, committed to their major and MU.

During a year of cutbacks, and budget problems upon budget problems, the students have been constant, positive reminders of why we’re all here.

***

You’ve probably seen the shot of the situation room as the President and his cabinet watched the Navy Seals infiltrate bin Laden’s digs last sunday.  Here’s what photo shoppers have been doing the rest of the week .

***

If you’ve had a Facebook page for any length of time, you’ll understand this message that’s making its way around the Facebook world:

“Dear FB Friends: You can’t find out who saw your profile. You won’t see what you’ll look like in the future. You won’t know what that man saw when he walked in on his daughter. There are no free iPads. And you can’t see the video of Osama’s death… Not on Facebook. Stop clicking the spam links and exposing yourself and friends to virus risks.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.

***

Okay.  It’s the end of the semester  and I make no apologies.  Here’s the results of a poll: given the choice between Palin and Trump, most voters choose suicide.

A green oasis in the desert of dried up funding!  Provost Peter Keller this week announced that a recent Department of Community & Economic Development grant enables faculty to apply for funding to develop course innovation and development for the 2011-2012 year.  Applicants may be individuals or small groups of faculty.  Contact Keller or your Dean for details.

***

This large, old tree fell across Wellsboro St. late Wednesday morning.  As anyone around Mansfield knows, traffic is usually bumper-to-bumper and sometimes even stopped, so it was amazing that only one car was hit.   Crews worked through the night to erect new poles and return the power lines.    It is safe to say it was a miracle that no one was hurt, especially the driver of the vehicle draped in power lines.

***

This year is the 20th anniversary of our nursing program.  Terry Day and I spent a morning this week at the Robert Packer campus to interview nursing profs Susan Lanzara and Jamie Klesh as well as a group of nursing and radiology technology students.  The warm, respectful relationship the students had withs their professors was inspiring and I left knowing that future patients  are going to be in good hands when these students go out into the field.  Special thanks to Jackie Wisniewski, coordinator of Student Services, Guthrie/Mansfield Education Center for her help.

***

Amazon sells books.  Google finds answers.  And now a software program may be the next step in suggesting student courses.  The Chronicle reports on the sneak peak at the program and the Netflix Effect.

The automated system looks at a student’s planned major, academic performance and information on how similar students made out in particular  class.  The system compiles and crunches the information and makes a recommendation.  According to the article, Austin Peay State University officials say  “an early test of the system found that it could lead to higher grades and fewer dropouts.”

***

Around the Mansfield region we talk a lot about politics, entertainment and natural gas.  Here’s a recent update on the Marcellus Shale Tax debate.