They have lots of reasons for returning to college. They need a degree to get ahead. They haven’t forgotten their dream to be a teacher, accountant, scientist, nurse. They all share a certain drive and maturity level. They want to finish the job.

At the University of Missouri–St. Louis these returning students make up nearly 75 percent of the student population. And next Tuesday a whole new group of transfer students will take a big step toward those dreams.

Organizers of UMSL’s June 25 Transfer Tuesday event are expecting more than 100 students and 64 family members and guests to attend. It is the second of four Transfer Tuesday half-day orientation events scheduled this summer for students enrolling in fall 2013.

“We compress a lot of information between 1 and 4 p.m.,” said Megan Green, director of New Student Programs. “We will have a big university welcome for everyone and then we break up into smaller academic and college groups where students can meet with faculty and academic advisers to discuss their academic expectations and their schedule. Students will also have time to mingle and talk with various staff members and current students serving as their orientation leader.”

Breakout groups on Tuesday also will address money matters, career development, campus safety, getting involved and other campus essentials. Students cannot register for orientation until the admission process has been completed.

All transfer students are required to participate in orientation sessions. In addition to the June 25 event, Transfer Tuesdays are scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. July 23  and 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13.

Visit umsl.edu/orientation for more information and to register for Transfer Tuesdays.

UMSL Chancellor Tom George delivers welcoming remarks at the 12th annual Cambio de Colores (Change of Colors) Conference at the university. Looking on is Domingo Martínez Castilla, director of Cambio Center at MU, which sponsors the event. (Photo by August Jennewein)

While politicians in the nation’s capital spar over immigration reform, a recent conference on Latinos in the Heartland focused instead on integrating immigrants, specifically Latinos, into the fabric of American life. The conference was held June 12-14 at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Domingo Martínez Castilla, director of Cambio Center for Research and Outreach on Latinos and Changing Communities at the University of Missouri–Columbia, shared his own cultural shift that, while minor, was still unfamiliar territory for him as a newcomer.

“I got involved in doing the laundry and other housekeeping chores that I learned that I had to do here as part of this culture,” said Domingo, who is originally from Peru. “Overall, I am invested now to make this state, my home, a better place, and that’s what I consider my integration.”

He said unauthorized immigrants do not come to the U.S. to break the law; rather they come here to work.

“Immigrants come because we need them and because we want them,” Domingo said.

In his welcoming remarks, UMSL Chancellor Tom George said 20 or 30 years ago immigration may have been viewed in a negative way, but that’s not the case anymore.

“When you start looking at major cities and you look at economic success,” George said, “there is a direct correlation between the percentage of immigrants in the city and how economically viable that society is, no question about that. “

He also reflected on the diversity of UMSL’s campus, where students represent 110 countries.

The 12th annual Cambio de Colores (Change of Colors) Conference, “Latinos in the Heartland: Positive Steps toward a Pluralist Society” brought together researchers, practitioners, decision-makers and community members to discuss immigrant integration and issues that Missouri and other states face as a result of demographic changes.

The conference was sponsored by the Cambio Center, Immigration Policy Center, Missouri Foundation for Health, Office of Minority Health at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, MU, UMSL and University of Missouri System.

Shweta Galande (left) and Kyle Renaud were recently named UMSL Senior Student-Athletes of the year, while Kelsie Rankin earned the inaugural Inspirational Award.

The University of Missouri–St. Louis Department of Athletics recently honored its 42 graduating seniors at the Fourth Annual Senior Student-Athlete Banquet, held at the Hilton St. Louis Airport in Woodson Terrace, Mo. 

Each senior was individually honored, while two members of the class were also recognized for being selected as Senior Student-Athletes of the Year. The female recipient was women’s golf’s Shweta Galande, while the male recipient was baseball’s Kyle Renaud.

Additionally, Kelsie Rankin of volleyball was honored with the inaugural Inspirational Award.

Galande has left her mark on the women’s golf program, having nearly rewritten the record book single-handedly during her four-year standout career.

During her time as a UMSL Tritons athlete, she has put the program in the national spotlight, guiding UMSL to four straight NCAA Super Regional appearances and twice qualifying for the NCAA Championships as an individual.

She earned All-Great Lakes Valley Conference accolades for the fourth straight year by finishing fifth in the annual league tournament.

Galande is the program’s all-time scoring average leader and shot 77.9 for her career. She has earned medalist honors four times, including winning the individual title as a junior at the GLVC Championship.

This season, she led the team with a scoring average of 77.5, which broke her own single season record, and has finished in the top 10 in eight tournaments, including placing in the top five in seven of those.

A three-time GLVC Pitcher of the Week this season, Renaud has established himself as one of the best relief pitchers in the country this season.

Renaud broke a 20-year-old UMSL single season saves record by recording two saves against the UnIllinois-Springfield. He currently has 16 saves, which ranks as the fifth best single season total in NCAA Division II history.

He also ranked second on the career charts with 17 career saves, one shy of the record of 18 set by Bob Simpson from 1985-87.

This season, Renaud boasted a team-best 1.69 ERA and owns a 3-1 record in 26 appearances. He allowed just nine earned runs in 49.2 innings of work.

Rankin was a five-year member of the volleyball program who had her share of ups and downs on the court. After starting her first three years and helping the 2010 team to the NCAA Tournament as a junior, she suffered a torn ACL that spring. Rankin had a successful surgery and redshirted her fourth year – what would have been her senior season.

Following surgery and rehab, Rankin was ready to come back for her fifth year. However, on the Sunday before the 2012 season was to start, she once again tore her ACL during an open gym. Following another successful surgery, she spent August, September and October, rehabbing intensively with the trainers and through her dedication and hard work, was cleared to play in October.

On October 13th at the GLVC-GLIAC Crossover Tournament, Rankin stepped foot on the court for the first time in nearly two years. She finished out the season as a key defensive player for the Tritons. 

Congratulations and best of luck to all of the following UMSL seniors:

Volleyball: Corinne Hoekstra, Liz Jaeger, Jennie Manis, Kelsie Rankin and Haley Woods.

Men’s Soccer: Jordan Bruce, Ajdin Dedic, Peter Hyde, Thomas Mihalczo, Dan Olwig, Patrick Ream, Gino Valenti and Luc Wells.

Women’s Soccer: Kelly Goehring and Jamie Morton.

Women’s Basketball: Molly Barnes, Angie Johnson and Deaven Omohundro.

Men’s Basketball: Justin Jones, Joshua McCoy, Isiah Nunn and Vinnie Raimondo.

Women’s Golf: Shweta Galande, Chelsea Kellogg and Samantha Pelc.

Men’s Golf: John Neis and Chase Smith.

Softball: Haleigh Jenkins.

Baseball: Nolan Craig, Andy Flett, Tim Hassett, Taylor Holman, Lucas Matecki, Charlie Mohr, Trevor Nathanson, John Pilackas, Kyle Renaud, Drew Standefer and Brett Wolf.

Cheerleading: Danielle Smith, Jennifer Green and Jason Little.

Kristy Tucciarone, associate teaching professor of media studies at UMSL, was named the 2012-2013 American Advertising Federation District 9 Faculty Advisor of the Year during an event in Kansas City, Mo., on April 19. (Photo by Myra Lopez)

Kristy Tucciarone, associate teaching professor of media studies at the University of Missouri­–St. Louis, has been recognized for her student leadership efforts.

She was recently named the 2012-2013 American Advertising Federation District 9 Faculty Advisor of the Year. The category included advertising scholars from universities in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.

“It’s a big honor to have your institution recognized, and it’s nice to be acknowledged for my hard work and dedication to my students,” she said.

It was also a special moment for her students.

“All 10 of them levitated off of their seats,” Tucciarone said of the moment her name was called.

Each fall, the American Advertising Federation gives students the opportunity to take part in a case study. They have to develop a campaign for the client. This year the client was Glidden Paint. Tucciarone was given the award for her “consistent communication” and “feedback,” during the process, according to a letter from Kathleen Riessen, AAF District 9 Governor.

“It is obvious in encounters with the UMSL team that (Kristy) is leaving a positive lasting impression on them,” Riessen wrote.

In addition, she described Tucciarone as a wonderful advocate for her students and a great peer to the other professors in her district.

Tucciarone said it’s a thrill to be acknowledged not only at the local level but also at the district level.

“That’s the biggest ‘wow’ for me,” she said.

Tucciarone has been with UMSL since 1999. In addition to teaching, she serves as the advising coordinator of media studies, manages the certificate in advertising, and advises the student organization Ad Core, a student chapter of the American Advertising Federation, which is UMSL’s advertising club.

UMSL alumnus Kenny Truong, BSBA 2007, opened The Rice House two years ago in Florissant, Mo. He’s now working on opening a second location with plans to open up five more restaurants in the next five years. (Florissant Patch photo-Aja J. Junior)

Kenny Truong appears to have cooked up a successful business model with his restaurant, The Rice House. The concept came together after Truong combined the business knowledge he gained from his University of Missouri–St. Louis degree with his parents’ authentic Chinese recipes, according to a recent Florissant (Mo.) Patch article.

“I’m delivering what my mom taught me,” he told the online publication. “The recipes are the same.”

Truong earned a BSBA from UMSL in 2007. He opened The Rice House two years ago in Florissant. Its offerings include traditional Chinese food and unconventional fare like Philly cheesesteak wanton, Jamaican jerk chicken and his take on St. Paul sandwiches, a St. Louis favorite.

Now Truong’s looking to open a second Florissant location in August with hopes, he told Florissant Patch, to open five more Rice House locations in the St. Louis area over the next five years and eventually go national with the concept.

Visit the Florissant Patch website to read the full article.

(via Wikimedia Commons)

The relationship between the U.S. and China continues to thaw, as evidenced by a recent two-day summit between President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, who both vowed to usher in a “new model” of relations.

That positive step has also carried over to Missouri, where a unique cultural exchange has kicked off with the arrival of the first of two groups of Chinese students who will take part in a program designed to foster greater understanding of young people between the two countries.

The visit is a win-win for both American and Chinese youth, Joel Glassman, director of the Office of International Studies and Programs and associate professor of political science at the University of Missouri­–St. Louis, told Don Marsh, host of “St. Louis on the Air” on St. Louis Public Radio | 90.7 KWMU.

“This is a great opportunity for a group of Missouri youth to interact in an ongoing way with this cohort of young boys and girls from China in an American organized activity,” Glassman said. “In fact, we probably stand to benefit more because China has been much more aggressive about sending their young people abroad, particular to the United States to further their education and to learn about how our system works and how our economy works and how they can interact effectively and successfully.”

Listen to the interview on the St. Louis Public Radio website.

John Harner leads his charges through a trumpet master class on the second day of the weeklong UMSL Jazz Camp, which is now part of the Jim Widner Big Band Jazz Camp series. The musicians added an extra level of improvisation that day, moving class to the naturally illuminated J.C. Penney Building/Conference Center lobby due to a power outage that hit North Campus.

Widner‘s band is entering its 26th year of hosting summer jazz camps all over the country. Members of the band serve as the faculty for the camp and teach all of the classes. Harner is a former first-trumpet player of the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

The photograph was taken by UMSL photographer August Jennewein and is the latest to be featured in Eye on UMSL.

A University of Missouri–St. Louis staff member and three alumni are among the young professionals being honored in the St. Louis Business Journal’s 2013 “30 Under 30” class.

The annual list recognizes individuals in the St. Louis area for their accomplishments on the job and their efforts in the community.

The UMSL staff honoree is:

• Karl Guenther, community development specialist at the Public Policy Research Center at UMSL

Guenther, 29, joined the Public Policy Research Center in June 2011 to facilitate and staff a network of community development organizations in the St. Louis region. Guenther co-wrote the report “Creating Whole Communities,” which examined the role of nonprofits in community development.

The UMSL alumni honorees are:

• Brandon Dempsey (BA communication 2006)
• Mohit Patel (BS 2011, MA 2012, biochemistry and biotechnology)
• Alison Zeidler  (BA English 2006 )

Dempsey, 29, is partner and owner at goBRANDgo!, a St. Louis-based full-service marketing agency for entrepreneurs. After helming several companies for nearly a decade, Dempsey joined forces with goBRANDgo! President Derek Weber in 2010 to have some fun with marketing.

Patel, 25, is executive vice president at Genetix Fusion, a biotechnology company that provides superior, nontoxic transfection kits for pharmaceutical and academic researchers. He’s also a research associate in UMSL’s Center for Nanoscience.

Alison Zeidler, 28, is a project manager and analyst for the St. Louis County Economic Council. She is responsible for connecting businesses with the tools needed to grow in St. Louis County, as well as managing Foreign-Trade Zone #102 on behalf of St. Louis County Port Authority.

Visit the St. Louis Business Journal for a complete list of honorees. All 30 recipients will be honored at a cocktail reception July 18.

The June University of Missouri–St. Louis performances by the Ambassadors of Harmony will provide exactly what you’ve come to expect from the ensemble’s shows – outstanding showmanship and award-winning a capella music.

“Ambassadors of Harmony: Voices in Harmony” will begin at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. June 15 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL.

Now celebrating 50 years of excellent music-making, the Ambassadors of Harmony are among the elite in its class.

In July of 2012, under the direction of Jim Henry, who is also the director of choral studies at UMSL, the Ambassadors of Harmony won the International Chorus Championship, held in Portland, Ore. They had previously won the championship in 2009 and 2004. In July of 2007, The Ambassadors of Harmony came very close to a gold medal in a first place tie with the Westminster Chorus at the Barbershop Harmony Society International Chorus Competition in Denver. Per the Society’s tie-breaking rules, they were awarded the second-place Silver Medal. In 2008, the chorus again took the Silver Medal at the International competition in Nashville, missing a win by three tenths of a percentage point.

The Ambassadors of Harmony Chorus won First Place in the chorus competition for the 5-state Central States District of the Barbershop Harmony Society in 15 consecutive attempts, the most recent win occurring in October 2011.

The chorus has acquired four 4th place, five 3rd place Medals in International chorus competition, as well as the 2009 and 2004 Gold and 2007 and 2008 Silver Medals.

Tickets to the concert are $24-$31 and can be purchased online at touhill.org or by calling 314-516-4949.

UMSL alumna Brighton Ranney is a 2012 Elijah Watt Sells Award recipient.

Brighton Ranney was pleasantly surprised when she found out she was a 2012 Elijah Watt Sells Award recipient. And the University of Missouri–St. Louis alumna quickly realized she had joined an elite class.

Ranney, who earned her master’s degree in accounting from UMSL in 2012, is the third UMSL alumnus to receive the award in the last five years. UMSL is one of only 10 universities in the United States to have at least three winners since 2007.

“Others who have achieved this are some of the largest accounting programs in the country, such as Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, University of Texas in Austin and University of Wisconsin in Madison,” said Mary Beth Mohrman, associate professor of accounting and chair of the Accounting Area at UMSL. “The fact that our much-smaller program has produced three winners is a newsworthy accomplishment. This level of achievement is an indication of the rigor of our accounting program. Our students are bright and hard-working, and many of them are able to achieve excellence on a national and international level.”

Nguyen Ngo, who earned her master’s degree in accounting from UMSL in 2011, received the award in 2012; and Chris Leon, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 2007, received the award in 2008. The national award is presented each year to candidates earning the cumulative highest score on the four-part Uniform Certified Public Accountants examination. More than 90,000 candidates sat for the exam in 2012.

“I think having so many awardees in recent years shows the strength of UMSL’s accounting program,” Ranney said. “I am proud to represent UMSL’s great program. While the professors are not teaching to the exam, they are teaching you all the fundamental information you have to know. One of my most difficult classes, Pamela Stuerke’s (associate professor of accounting) professional writing class taught me to use words precisely and helped prepare me for the written portion of the CPA exam. All the financial reporting classes are obviously important; all those seemingly random things you learn in accounting information systems and everything you have to memorize in auditing will appear in sections of the CPA exam.”

Ranney, a resident of Wildwood, Mo., is an associate at Tax Strategies, a part of Moneta Group in Clayton, Mo.  Tax Strategies provides specialized proactive tax planning solutions, preparation services and year-round tax advice for clients.

She began as an intern during the 2011 tax season after receiving a recommendation from Greg Geisler, professor of accounting at UMSL.

“I’m so thankful to UMSL for preparing me for my current career,” she said. “I received an offer for permanent employment during my final semester at UMSL.”