Newsmakers in Education

Ronald Fairbairn, associate provost for public affairs and the extended campus at Missouri State University, has announced he will retire June 1.

Fairbairn has been with the school for nearly 19 years – 18 of which he spent as dean of the College of Continuing Education and the Extended Campus. He was named to his current position in the provost’s office in September.

As associate provost, Fairbairn has been responsible for developing and leading major public affairs initiatives and events, working with the faculty and administration in the academic colleges to advance MSU’s public affairs mission, and managing various academic outreach areas.

Under Fairbairn’s leadership, MSU’s continuing education programs grew significantly, leading to the Office of Continuing Education being renamed the College of Continuing Education and the Extended University in 1996.

MSU’s Director of Academic Outreach Stephen Robinette will assume Fairbairn’s duties while a national search is conducted.

SBU forensics team earns honors

Southwest Baptist University’s forensics team placed third at the Longview Community College tournament in Kansas City. Speakers from Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri competed in speech and debate events.

These SBU students participated in one or more categories at the competition: Ben Burns, Andrew Phillips, Sean McCormack, Nathan Ross, David VanBebber, Tony Melton, Josh Erickson, Daniel Wilson, Amy Bopp, Vandi Eslit, Jessica Kershner, Shannon Klousia, Sara Norcross, Kat Miller and Rebecca Koe. SBU alumni and current graduate students at Missouri State University accompanied SBU coaches and speakers to serve as judges.

SBU’s forensics team also earned honors at the 45th National Pi Kappa Delta Tournament at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The team, comprised of Bryce Blankenship, Bopp, Burns, Erickson, Eslit, Kershner, Klousia, Koe, McCormack, Melton, Megan Parker, Ross, VanBebber and Wilson, competed in 11 events. The team finished with superior team recognition in total sweepstakes with a first-place ranking. SBU’s team also ranked No. 5 in debate sweepstakes and No. 1 in individual events. Students from 20 states competed in the tournament.

Drury-Lebanon program gets funds

Drury University, Emerson Climate Technologies and the Lebanon R-III School District have launched the Lebanon Home, School, Community Program.

Emerson is donating $120,000 over three years to provide 24 scholarships for current Lebanon teachers as they earn Masters in Education in special reading.

Classes will be held on Drury’s Lebanon campus and online. The curriculum includes classes such as leadership in reading programs, improvement of reading instruction, analysis and correction of reading problems.

The program also will provide opportunities for Drury students to attend literacy workshops. In addition, a partner-in-education volunteer program will offer mentors from the business community for students and parents in the Lebanon schools.

The program will start this summer and run through summer 2009. Participants will graduate in August 2009 and will be eligible for the Missouri Special Reading Teacher Certificate.

SBU president speaks on Capitol Hill

C. Pat Taylor, president of Southwest Baptist University, was among the leaders of a special session at the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities’ 31st annual Presidents Conference Feb. 1–3 in Washington, D.C.

SBU’s Taylor was among the several CCCU presidents to work specifically with new presidents of CCCU institutions. Activities included a new presidents’ orientation workshop, a session for presidents’ spouses and a new presidents’ orientation dinner, held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. Several topics were addressed during activities for new presidents, and Taylor gave a personal perspective on aspects of the Presidents Conference that he has found to be helpful.

125 OTC students join honor society

Ozarks Technical Community College on March 11 inducted 125 students into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. Phi Theta Kappa honors students who have grade point averages of 3.5 or higher, and emphasizes leadership, service, scholarship and fellowship.

OTC’s chapter has demonstrated its commitment to service through community events such as American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, for which the chapter’s relay team has raised more than $7,000 two years in a row.

OTC’s chapter representatives recently returned from Phi Theta Kappa’s Regional Conference in Jefferson City, where they were honored with the Distinguished Chapter Member, Distinguished Advisor and Distinguished Administrator awards. The school will send 10 representatives in April to the international convention in Nashville, Tenn., where OTC’s Frank Shepard will receive the International Distinguished Administrator award.

Challenge Treatment Center gets church donation

Springfield Public Schools’ Challenge Treatment Center, which provides educational services to students at the Greene County Juvenile Center who are selected to live in a group home, received a $4,000 donation from Second Baptist Church. The money will be used for classroom renovations and improvements at the center’s residential site, 924 N. Main Ave.

Second Baptist church is a member of the school district’s faith-based initiative, a Partnership in Education Program between the district and area churches. Challenge Treatment Center is one of five entities to receive funds that Second Baptist raised during a Broadway-style Christmas musical.

EU music chairman conducts last show

John S. Shows, Evangel University music department chairman for the past 24 years, has announced that he will retire from higher education following the spring 2007 semester. He was slated to conduct the last formal concert of his 41-year career on March 20 in Evangel’s Chapel Auditorium, leading a performance of the symphonic band.

Shows has been a member of Evangel’s music department faculty since 1966. During his tenure and under his leadership, Evangel’s music department has grown with new programs, higher enrollment and the addition of the Barnett Fine Arts Center. He has served as director of bands, instructor of trumpet and horn and professor of several instrumental music education courses. Shows also has toured extensively with Evangel’s concert band, performing in more than 40 states, in Canada and Mexico and throughout Europe.

Shows, an Evangel graduate, has received numerous awards, including being named in 2003 to the General Council of the Assemblies of God Music Hall of Honor.

Forest Institute gains national award

Forest Institute of Professional Psychology has received the Innovations in Psychology Training and Education Award from the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology. The award recognizes the development of the Integrated Healthcare Program in partnership with Jordan Valley Community Health Clinic.

The program is designed to train graduate psychology students to work with the underserved in a primary health care setting. Forest is the second school to receive the Innovations in Psychology Training and Education Award; the first recipient was the University of Denver, recognized for its International Disaster Psychology Training Program.

Parkview DECA students head to state

Parkview High School’s Delta Epsilon Chi – or DECA – team, had 27 students who qualified for state competition at the State Career Development Conference, March 18–20 in Lake Ozark.

The qualifying students and their categories are: Jasmyne Summers, accounting; Jamile Jones, accounting; Dalton Alday, apparel and accessories; Joseph Harston, food marketing, associate level; Victoria DuBerry, food marketing, management level; Mallory Thomson, hotel and lodging; Aaron Wynn, marketing management services; Lizzie Ernst, retail merchandising; Summer Smith, quick-serve restaurant; Jordan Rodriguez, restaurant and food service; Josh McCombs, restaurant and food service; Ben Flaim, business services marketing; Tim Brooks, e-commerce; Hassan Rao, e-commerce; Rebekah Sappington, business law and ethics; Danielle Davis, business law and ethics; Jade Dewitt, hospitality services; Michael Robbins, hospitality services; Zach Henderson, financial analysis; Ellie Galler, financial analysis; Rachel Stevens, buying and merchandising; Adriane Nippert, buying and merchandising; Nick Gaddis, enterprise promotion; Chris Clark, public relations; Heather Ash, public relations; Megan VonStrohe, public relations; and Tara Chilton, entrepreneurship participation.

DECA is an international association of high school and college students who study marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality and marketing sales and service.

R-XII schools win excellence award

Springfield Public Schools is among five districts in the state to receive the 2007 Missouri Staff Development Council Commissioner’s Award of Excellence for Professional Development. The award recognizes school districts that have quality professional development that is data-driven, job-related and results-based. The Springfield district has demonstrated how professional learning positively affects students and teachers, and how practices are aligned with national standards for professional learning. The district, which will receive $2,500 with the award, will serve as a model for other districts in the state.

C of O named to honor roll

College of the Ozarks was named to the first President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, which recognizes students, faculty and staff for helping to build a culture of service and civic involvement in the United States. More than 500 colleges and universities applied for the inaugural honor roll.

College of the Ozarks was recognized for its Bonner Community Service Program, through which students volunteer in the community, doing tasks such as tutoring at area schools, assisting Christian Action Ministries and offering services to the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club.

Other community service efforts at C of O include mission trips taken by students to help communities in need. Last year, for example, students took three trips to Mississippi and Louisiana to help families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Nursing program gets initial approval

The Missouri State Board of Nursing has granted initial approval for College of the Ozarks’ Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing program, the Armstrong McDonald School of Nursing.

The school will launch the nursing program in fall 2007, with approximately 30 students.

The McDonald Hospital, located on the C of O campus in Point Lookout, was renovated to accommodate state-of-the-art lab facilities for the BSN program. The hospital houses the Armstrong McDonald Nursing Learning Lab, complete with a classroom, hospital beds, simulation mannequins and computerized interactive learning modules.

Initial approval status will advance to full approval once the program’s first graduating class is successful in taking the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.[[In-content Ad]]