Since becoming University of Missouri System president, I have been travelling the state far and wide touting the advantages of higher education, offering examples like a more informed citizenry, higher income and more engagement in society.
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Economist discusses local housing crash
The continuous decline of the housing market is spurring the increase of bargain prices for potential buyers and investors, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
UMSL Events for May 26-June 1, 2012
UMSL Events contains information about events that will occur in the seven days following publication (Saturday-Friday). It contains information compiled from the UMSL Campus Calendar. No submissions are accepted, and since the calendar is self-populated, University Marketing and Communications is not responsible for the content that appears here or its accuracy. If you would like to receive UMSL Events via e-mail, you can subscribe to UMSL Daily or UMSL Daily Events.
Media Coverage: March 2012
The University of Missouri–St. Louis makes a significant impact on the St. Louis area. Stories about the university, its scholars and their expertise are often covered by local and national news media.
Instructor, alumna honored for health-care work
Sheila Grigsby works with churches and congregations in the St. Louis metropolitan area to educate young people about their sexual health and HIV and AIDS.
Eye on UMSL: Habitat for Humanity
Patricia Zahn, director of the Des Lee Collaborative Vision at UMSL, moves a ladder May 23 at a house construction site on Bates Street in south St. Louis. Through the university’s Employee Volunteer Program and the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis, Zahn and nine other volunteers from the university spent the day framing the upstairs walls and installing insulation on two houses.
Victorian era inspires new Gallery Visio exhibit
The latest exhibition at Gallery Visio at the University of Missouri–St. Louis takes its inspiration from the splendid Victorian era of St. Louis.
Softball duo earns All-Region honors
A pair of freshmen made quite a first impression this season with the start of their college softball playing careers at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
STARS places students with scientists in lab, field
Academically talented high school juniors and seniors will get a chance this summer to research everything from plant responses to environmental stress, to a protein important for nervous system differentiation and cancer, during the 2012 STARS program at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Instructor sheds light on Pentecostalism, tongue-speaking
While it might sound like gibberish to the untrained ear, there are actually two varieties of tongue-speaking among Pentecostals, according to Peter Marina, a visiting assistant professor of sociology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Baseball lands 5 on All-GLVC teams
The University of Missouri–St. Louis baseball team had five players earn all-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors, including a pair of first team nods to senior starting pitcher Jeremy Butler and junior outfielder John Pilackas. Junior third baseman Trevor Nathanson, junior utility player Charlie Mohr and junior designated hitter Taylor Holman were all named to the league’s second team.
Biology student overcomes challenges to earn academic success
Nicole “Nikki” Benjamin has never let her hearing impairment slow her down. The University of Missouri–St. Louis biology major sees the challenge as one she knows she has repeatedly overcome.
Crime mapping can lead to more effective law enforcement
The fragmentation of police services is a problem inherent in the organization of many communities across the county. St. Louis is no different, as there are a multitude of jurisdictions—many of which have their own police departments. This fragmentation has the potential to reduce the ability of law enforcement agencies to collectively combat crime and disorder and provide effective community services.
ROTC grads honor history, take next big step
In unison, the 16 young men and women recited the Cadet Creed. A standing-room- only crowd filled the sanctuary of a former church on the St. Louis University campus May 10 for the military ceremony.
Eye on UMSL: Grand progress
UMSL at Grand Center is taking shape. Designed by St. Louis architects Heather Woofter and Sung Ho Kim of Axi:Ome, the $12 million, 27,000-square-foot building is expected to be complete in June.
UMSL Events for May 19-25, 2012
Note: UMSL Events contains information about events that will occur in the seven days following publication...
Bridge Program receives national award from College Board
After years of presenting hundreds of awards to students and their organizations, Curt Coonrod got to accept one for his team. The Bridge Program at the University of Missouri–St. Louis was recognized by the College Board for its commitment and efforts to positively impact the African American community. Coonrod, UMSL’s vice provost for Student Affairs, accepted the Dr. Asa G. Hilliard Model of Excellence award on April 27 at the College Board’s 2012 A Dream Deferred: The Future of African American Education conference in Los Angeles.
Dance festival to spring up again at Touhill
Dance lovers, name a place you can see the world-renowned shape-shifters Pilobolus for only $10. And what if that $10 also got you access to live performances by nine other renowned dance companies? That’s exactly what you get for the first night of the 5th Annual Emerson Spring to Dance Festival at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Accounting alumna wins 2011 Elijah Watt Sells Award
When Nguyen Ngo received word she was a recipient of the 2011 Elijah Watt Sells Award, the University of Missouri–St. Louis alumna was excited to share the news with the faculty who helped make the honor possible.
GLVC honors men’s golfer
Sophomore Joe Atkisson of the University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s golf team was one of only five players selected by vote to the 2012 All-Great Lakes Valley Conference team. The players were voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches.
Thinking out loud with the intellectually curious
Why do we think about certain things? Why do we do certain things? A three-day conference for the thinking person gets under way May 20 at the Moonrise Hotel in St. Louis. The St. Louis Annual Conference on Reasons and Rationality or SLACRR is sponsored by the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Washington University in St. Louis. It runs through May 22. The conference provides a forum for new work on practical and theoretical reason.
Instructor receives prestigious honor from French government
The French government has singled out a language instructor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis to receive a prestigious honor it bestows to academics, cultural and educational figures.
Ritenour teens create photographic autobiographies
A new University of Missouri–St. Louis exhibit will provide an outlet for the distinctive voices of a group of St. Louis-area teenagers. The teens, all students at Ritenour High School in Breckenridge Hills, Mo., will tell their story through photographs. The exhibit is the latest in the Public Policy Research Center Photography Project series.
Janitor goes from cleaning schools to education degree
Walking across the University of Missouri–St. Louis stage to accept his bachelor’s degree in elementary education on Sunday is something Toby Meyers would have never imagined 10 years ago.
Baseball, women’s basketball players named Athletes of Year
The University of Missouri–St. Louis recently honored 45 graduating seniors, led by baseball player Jeremy Butler and women’s basketball player Caitlyn Moody who were named Senior Student-Athletes of the Year. The seniors were recognized May 3 at the Third Annual Senior Student-Athlete Banquet at the Hilton St. Louis Airport hotel in Woodson Terrace, Mo.
Eye on UMSL: Piano man
Accomplished pianist Tom Sullivan basks in applause May 10 following a performance in the J.C. Penney Building/Conference Center at UMSL.
Student graduates with more than degree
Travis Abbott graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis Saturday with more than just a degree; he also took with him the title of published author. Abbott, a double major in computer science and mathematics, has co-authored three papers along with Uday Chakraborty, professor of computer science at UMSL. The most recent paper was published in the prestigious journal Energy, an international, multi-disciplinary journal in energy engineering and research.
Children’s advocacy services director talks victimization
As director of the Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, Jerry Dunn is all too familiar with the ways that perpetrators attempt to shame their victims.
3 honorary degree recipients devote lives to service
Dr. Patricia Wolff, a St. Louis pediatrician who left her private practice last year to devote her time to providing food and medicine to malnourished children in Haiti, is one of three individuals receiving honorary degrees at five commencement ceremonies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis May 12 and 13.
Baseball duo earns player, pitcher of week honors
A pair of University of Missouri–St. Louis baseball players helped the team sweep the final round of Great Lake Valley Conference baseball Player of the Week Awards. Junior second baseman Charlie Mohr was named GLVC baseball Player of the Week and senior pitcher Austin Schuler was named GLVC Pitcher of the Week.
UMSL Events for May 12-18, 2012
UMSL Events contains information about events that will occur in the seven days following publication (Saturday-Friday). It contains information compiled from the UMSL Campus Calendar. No submissions are accepted, and since the calendar is self-populated, University Marketing and Communications is not responsible for the content that appears here or its accuracy. If you would like to receive UMSL Events via e-mail, you can subscribe to UMSL Daily or UMSL Daily Events.
Remembering a legend: Chancellor Marguerite Ross Barnett Memorial Plaza
“Good. Better. Best. We just met the best.” Those were the words of Ruth Bryant in 1986. Bryant was president of the Chancellor’s Council at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and the council had just completed interviews of three finalists for the position of UMSL chancellor. The council members agreed: The final candidate, Marguerite Ross Barnett, was number one.
2 sides of the same coin: Political Science alumni from opposing parties bond over radio show
John Hancock and Michael Kelley have a lot in common. They come from similar working-class backgrounds. Each has experienced a successful career in political consulting, and both hold bachelor’s degrees in political science from the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Tatyana Telnikova has a handle on bikes, beer and business
If you ask Tatyana Telnikova, she’ll tell you most of the important decisions she’s made in her life have taken place over a beer in a bar. “And they’ve all turned out great,” she says with a smile.
Railroad aficionado Donald K. Anderson Jr. finds niche at Mercantile Library
Donald K. Anderson Jr. stands in front of an iconic railroad image. It’s a painting by Leslie Ragan that’s on display in the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. A smile crosses his face as he talks about the artwork, the era, the trains.
Earl Swift recounts a love affair with UMSL that led to his journalism career
Earl Swift’s original plan for college called for a brief stay at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, followed by a transfer to the University of Missouri–Columbia to enroll in its famed Missouri School of Journalism.
Jennifer Tappenden introduces poetry to the public one poem at a time
Poetry is a hard sell. It has the rap of being difficult, of being inaccessible, of being something only other poets...
Shooting for greatness: UMSL Tritons capture first-ever GLVC tourney win
The end came swiftly. Swish! The University of Missouri–St. Louis Tritons men’s basketball team closed its most successful season in 21 years with a 72-70 loss at the hands of Northern Kentucky University (Highland Heights).
Beyond the classroom: Grant program opens doors for undergraduate researchers
Jason Adair never saw himself as the Indiana Jones type. But after learning about uncovered remnants of stone tools and other artifacts that were found in Chesterfield, Mo., the University of Missouri–St. Louis anthropology major got hooked on archaeology.
Partnership between UMSL and Missouri Institute of Mental Health is one to be ‘proud of’
It’s 8:30 a.m. and Joseph Parks has already fielded four conference calls, all of them while driving into St. Louis from his home in Columbia, Mo. Parks is the director of the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Once a week, he makes the trip to MIMH, which is housed on the grounds of the old St. Louis State Hospital.
In her own words: Nurse oncologist talks about breast cancer in black women
Margaret Barton-Burke has been an oncology nurse for more than 35 years. But it wasn’t exactly a career path she grew up dreaming about. Actually, it was more or less preordained.
Teacher of music teachers enters hall of fame
Fred Willman, Curators’ Teaching Professor of Music and Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, has influenced music education and music educators for almost half a century. His contributions were recognized in January with his induction into the Missouri Music Educators Association Hall of Fame.
Fundraising campaign nears goal
The Gateway for Greatness Campaign will end June 30, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis is ready to celebrate. Support for the seven-year fundraising effort that began in 2005 exceeded expectations such that university officials raised the campaign goal to $150 million in 2010. (The university originally sought $100 million.)
Spoken-word ballet to make debut at Touhill
The world premiere of “A Life Unhappening” will meld choreography with the written word for a spoken-word ballet performance exploring the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on three generations of one woman’s family. The St. Louis Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has teamed up with writer and producer Adam E. Stone for the performance, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. May 11 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Getting through college on the fast track: 20-year-olds graduate from UMSL
Among the more than 1,500 students graduating from the University of Missouri–St. Louis Saturday, four of them stand out for what they have in common. They’ve all earned high honors, entered college at the sophomore level and are 20 years old. (Since 1974, only 217 of more than 60,000 UMSL graduates were 20 years old or younger.) Not surprisingly, they’re highly focused individuals with grand plans.
Education alumnus named Tachau Teacher of the Year
Teaching and inspiring the minds of young people isn’t an easy job. Some teachers have it. Some don’t. And for one University of Missouri–St. Louis alumnus, his name says it all.
Creative writers to give one last reading as students
A day before they graduate from the University of Missouri–St. Louis with an MFA in creative writing, eight students will read their original works. The semiannual MFA Graduate Reading will begin at 7 p.m. Friday (May 11) in the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. The reading is free and open to the public.
UMSL Tritons weekly roundup for May 1-7
Each week, the Department of Athletics at the University of Missouri–St. Louis compiles a roundup of how the various UMSL Tritons teams have fared. Click on the headings below for an up-to-date look at each Tritons team.
Character education: You got a case
I was recently asked how to convince people that character education actually works. The cynicism, skepticism, and conservatism out there often astound me. Amy Johnston, the award-winning principal of 2008 National School of Character Francis Howell Middle School in St. Charles, M0., expresses the same frustration.
Alumni, students recognized for service
You’re a college student and you get invited to a dinner with 12 strangers. Do you say yes? Of course you do if you’re a student at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. That dinner pairs you with five other students and six UMSL alumni. The lively conversation usually lasts for hours and often results in relationships that benefit everyone at the table. And no one leaves a stranger.