OH, BY THE WAY...
ENSEMBLE'S EVENTS MAKE FOR A TAPPY HALLOWEEN
The Kansas State University Tap Dance Ensemble will participate in two Halloween-themed activities this month to showcase the group's talents.
The ensemble will perform from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at Spooktacular 2010 at Manhattan's Sunset Zoo. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children.
Ensemble members will be tap dancing throughout the zoo, and may even teach observers a tap-dance step or two. They will conclude their afternoon with an hour performance that will include Broadway, rhythm and funk styles of tap dance.
The ensemble also is offering Happy Halloween Tap-A-Grams all day Friday, Oct. 29, as a fundraiser for the group.
Tap-a-grams can be delivered on campus or in the Manhattan community. Ensemble members will travel with a portable tap dance floor to perform a short routine for the recipient of your choice.
The group also offers E-Tap-A-Grams for friends or family members who don't live in the area. Simply provide the e-mail address of the recipient, and the ensemble will send them an electronic tap-a-gram greeting.
For more information about tap-a-grams or group performances, contact Julie Pentz at jpentz@k-state.edu or 785-532-5411.
TASK FORCE ADDRESSES FUTURE PRINTING NEEDS
Since last spring a task force led by Jeff Morris, vice president for communications and marketing, and Kris Boone, head of the department of communications in the College of Agriculture, has been working to identify future needs for printing for the K-State family. Their goal is to improve customer service and efficiency.
Representatives from Printing Services and K-State's Research and Extension duplicating services are participating in the planning process. The group is charged with defining printing needs for the next five years and developing a business plan to serve the university, including the essential support our extension offices require.
"As we look to the next five years, printing technology continues to evolve rapidly," Morris said. "We need to serve the K-State family as always, while bringing new ideas to the table."
Specifically, Morris mentioned variable data printing and increased color digital capabilities. In addition to reviewing equipment needs, the task force will also assess facilities and service locations, with the goal of avoiding redundancy. The group hopes to conclude its work by December.
CENTRAL STATES MARCHING FESTIVAL OCT. 23 FEATURES HIGH SCHOOL BANDS AND THE PRIDE OF WILDCAT LAND
High school bands from all over the Midwest will be marching their way to K-State to perform at the 24th annual Central States Marching Festival, Saturday, Oct. 23.
Hosted by the K-State Marching Band, the Pride of Wildcat Land, the event is known as the premier marching festival in the state and is the largest of its kind in the region.
"This festival is an outstanding musical and educational experience, with great facilities, outstanding staff and great K-State care for all high school students and directors attending," said Frank Tracz, professor and director of bands at K-State. "We are very proud of this event, and we're excited to provide some purple hospitality to all."
The festival will feature performances by more than 30 high school bands culminating in a finale performance by the K-State Marching Band.
Performances will take place from noon to 9 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Tickets are $5 for the general public. Admission is free for children 12 and younger and for all K-State students with their K-State ID.
In addition to performances, the festival's format also includes a one-hour clinic for each band, administered by the directors and staff of the K-State Marching Band; a video critique in the indoor facility immediately following their performances; and an evaluation from a panel of nationally recognized judges.
High school bands will be evaluated on their performance's general effect, repertoire, showmanship, coordination, musical and marching technique, musicianship, musical content, accuracy and definition of field drill, and visual content. Each band is then rated as superior, excellent or good based upon the evaluation.
The judging panel includes Larry Blocher, professor of music at Troy University; Jeanne Copeland, color guard instructor at K-State; Greg Coffey, drum line instructor at K-State; Peter Havely, retired director of bands from Missouri Southern State University; Ron Hufstader, director of bands from the University of Texas at El Paso;Phillip Payne, assistant professor of music at K-State; and James Oliver, retired band director from the Lee's Summit, Mo., public schools.
A schedule of performances is available online at http://www.k-state.edu/band/csmf.html.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT TO GIVE 'DIG DEEP' LECTURE
Lucinda R. Sanders, a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and CEO and partner of Olin Studio, will present a lecture for the College of Architecture, Planning and Design.
Her lecture, "Dig Deep," will be at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, in the Little Theater at the K-State Student Union. It is free and open to the public.
Olin is an award-winning studio dedicated to affecting positive change through landscape architecture, urban design and planning. From the firm's studios in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, Sanders crafts spaces that promote social interaction and enhance life. Through research, analysis and a dynamic design process, she incorporates the intrinsic qualities of a site to generate a landscape that is embraced by its community. Sustainability is a central tenet of the studio's holistic approach, uniting natural processes with technical innovation to produce contemporary and beautiful places.
Sanders first studied landscape architecture at Rutgers University; she went on to earn a master's degree in landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, where she currently serves as an adjunct professor of landscape architecture.
With an emphasis on achieving places of social purpose and ecological sensitivity, Sanders' restorative landscapes combine her interest and talents in urbanism with social and natural systems, philosophy and art.
She has been involved in a wide range of projects, including public parks, urban plazas, master plans, and institutional, academic and corporate landscapes. Recent work includes Rincon Park in San Francisco; Mill River Park and Greenway in Stamford, Conn.; Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City; and Comcast Center Plaza and Central Delaware Riverfront Master Plan in Philadelphia.
ATHLETIC TRAINING EDUCATION PROGRAM RECEIVES CONTINUING ACCREDITATION
The athletic training education program has earned continuing accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.
The accreditation is good for 10 years, according to Shawna Jordan, director of K-State's athletic training education program. The process included an 18-month self-study review that addressed teaching, supervision, student learning and more. It also involved a two and one-half day on-campus visit by an external review team, which met with students and faculty and toured facilities.
"The commission found that our program met all of the nationally recognized standards for entry-level athletic training education," Jordan said. "These standards were established by the commission's sponsors: the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the National Athletic Trainers' Association Inc."
"Dr. Jordan and Mr. DiCicco, an instructor in the program, are to be congratulated on putting together a superior self-study that led to such high remarks from the site visit committee," said Denis Medeiros, head of the department of human nutrition and associate dean for scholarship and research of K-State's College of Human Ecology.
Jordan said accreditation is essential if the program's students want to seek certification as athletic trainers after they graduate.
"In order for our students to sit for the Board of Certification exam at the end of their undergraduate degree, we must maintain our accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education," she said. "Accreditation also is important because it ensures the students are prepared to meet the challenges of working with the public and physically active individuals once they graduate."
K-State's bachelor's degree program in athletic training is offered through the department of human nutrition in the College of Human Ecology. Students study the concepts and skills to properly manage the health care problems associated with physical activity. The athletic trainer, in cooperation with physicians and other health care personnel, functions as an integral member of the health care team in secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, sports medicine clinics, and other health care settings, Jordan said.
"Our accredited programs set the standard for assessment of student learning because of the rigor required for meeting both the university assessment standards and the programs' accrediting agency standards. We are very pleased with this continuing achievement by the athletic training education program in the College of Human Ecology," said Briana S. Nelson Goff, the college's associate dean for academic affairs.
"Our students have been very successful after leaving K-State. Most go on to attend a physical therapy school or complete graduate programs at universities all across the U.S.," Jordan said.
"The students who start their careers after their undergraduate studies have found employment in high school outreach clinics, biomedical sales positions or orthopaedic rehabilitation clinics.
"We're very proud that our students continue to achieve after leaving K-State," she said. "We have several graduates now working in college-university settings as athletic trainers, and several who hold dual credentials of certified athletic trainer and a doctorate of physical therapy."
The K-State athletic training program has been accredited since 1992. Jordan said the program has been growing rapidly and currently serves 164 students.
As part of their degree work, students take practicum courses in athletic training and apply their skills at the program's clinical affiliate sites, which include area high schools, clinics and collegiate settings.
"The athletic training education program also is a very good example of how K-State's department of intercollegiate athletics contributes directly to the academic mission of K-State," Medeiros said. "Intercollegiate athletics provides the sites for our student interns, as well as some instructors to teach our classes. Our program is one of the largest in the nation, and one can see why students are attracted to it based on this level of talent and commitment."
"I think what makes our program stand out are the same features that draw students to K-State: our family atmosphere that shows we truly care about the individual and seeing them succeed," Jordan said.
CASH TO SERVE IN UPHAM ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
Dr. Walter C. Cash, veterinarian and professor of anatomy and physiology, has been appointed to Kansas State University's Dr. Roy Walter Upham Endowed Professorship in Veterinary Medicine.
The Upham professorship was established in 2002 under the Kansas Faculty of Distinction program. It is awarded to a faculty member in K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine who exemplifies senior leadership. The professorship is a three-year appointment. It was previously held by Dr. David Biller, professor of clinical sciences, and Dr. Howard Erickson, professor of physiology.
Upham, a Junction City native, graduated from K-State with a doctorate in veterinary medicine in January 1943. He was a member of the K-State track team. Upham served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Veterinary Corps in the early 1950s. He went on to earn a master's degree in food technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1960. He was the director of food, drugs and dairy for the Illinois Department of Public Health from 1966-1983. Upham died in 1999.
"This is quite an honor," Dr. Cash said. "I was born after Dr. Upham attended K-State, so I didn't know him, but it is interesting that we both have common backgrounds through K-State and the state of Illinois, where I had previously been in private practice. My hope is to honor his name by educating future veterinarians."
"Dr. Roy Upham's vision for the future and love for his profession allowed us to create a professorship that serves as a wonderful role model for our students, colleagues and staff," said Dr. Ralph Richardson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "Dr. Cash shares the same vision and respect for the profession as Dr. Upham, so we are quite pleased to announce this professorship to a very deserving educator."
Cash, a Wichita native, earned his bachelor's degree in biological sciences in 1969, doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1971 and doctorate in anatomy/physiology/pathology in 1982, all from K-State. From 1971 to 1974 Cash was in private veterinary practice in Rockford, Ill. He returned to K-State in 1974 as a temporary instructor, but stayed on, eventually becoming a full professor in the department of anatomy and physiology.
Cash has been a member of more than 15 graduate student committees. He has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications; produced more than 20 videotapes for use in his anatomy classes; and has served on many college and university committees.
His many honors include the College of Veterinary Medicine's Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teaching Award in 1980 and 2000, the Merial Award for Teaching Excellence in the First Year in 2005 and 2009, and the Professional Performance Award in 2007. He also received the E.R. Frank Award from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the K-State Veterinary Medical Alumni Association in June 2010.
Cash is an active member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Veterinary Anatomists, American Association of Anatomists, World Association of Anatomists, Society for Neuroscience and the American Association for the Advancement for Science. A charter member of the Sigma Chapter of Phi Zeta, the honor society of veterinary medicine, he also is a member of Phi Kappa Phi collegiate honor society and Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society for agricultural sciences.
PROFESSOR LOOKS AT ROLE OF LATINO FAMILIES IN 'UGLY BETTY,' OTHER TV SITCOMS
For a Kansas State University English professor, television sitcoms such as "Ugly Betty" provide more than an hour of entertainment. They also offer an analysis of the Latino family structure and its increasing prominence in sitcoms during the past decade.
Tanya Gonzalez, assistant professor of English, is writing several essays that relate to Latino culture and families as they are portrayed in entertainment, particularly in ABC's former show "Ugly Betty." Gonzalez and Eliza Rodriguez y Gibson, assistant professor of Chicano/a studies at Loyola Marymount University, are co-authoring the book "The Word on Ugly Betty: Latina/o Cultural Politics on Television." The book explores themes such as feminism, masculinity and immigration.
"The book is about using 'Ugly Betty' as a way to talk about Latina studies and Latina issues today," Gonzalez said.
Since 2002 ABC has become the leading network to develop Latino comedies, Gonzalez said, noting that current or former ABC shows such as "The George Lopez Show," "Ugly Betty," "Desperate Housewives" and "Modern Family" either focus on a Latino family or feature a Latino family. Even shows such as "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" have included Latino characters.
Gonzalez's latest essay, "Modern Familias? ABC, Comedy and Latino Masculinity on TV," focuses on representations of Latino masculinity in contemporary television. She presented her research earlier this year at the Pop Cultural Association conference in St. Louis, and will include the research in her book.
Gonzalez was inspired by the work of Richard Rodriguez, a University of Illinois associate professor who has closely researched the history, culture and patriarchal structure of the Chicano, or Mexican-American, family.
"Because we have all these comedies on ABC, I was curious to see how families and representations of family were either changing or producing the paradigm that Rodriguez traced from the past," Gonzalez said.
"In 'Ugly Betty' the father is always wearing aprons and cooking, and doing things that typically you would expect to see the mom in the show doing," Gonzalez said. "I thought that was very fascinating, especially thinking about Rodriquez's research about the traditional notion of patriarchy."
Gonzalez found "Ugly Betty" especially interesting because it achieved an unprecedented amount of success for television adaptations of Latin American shows.
An important part of her project is an emphasis on the comedy genre of television shows. "What is it about comedy that allows us to have nontraditional representations of family?" Gonzalez said. "Why is comedy the safe place for that to happen?"
In her research Gonzalez is finding instances on television shows where male characters exhibit "macho man" qualities, and times when they don't portray such qualities. She is also using information from pioneering feminist media studies critics, such as Mary Beltran, Isabel Molina-Guzman and Angharad Valdivia.
The book also will feature one of Gonzalez's previously published essays, "Is Ugly the New Sexy? The Complexities of Latina Sexuality on Ugly Betty," which discusses how Latina femininity is represented on television. The article was published in the fall 2010 issue of the journal Chicana/Latina Studies.
TEMPLE GRANDIN TO SPEAK AT K-STATE NOV. 9
Temple Grandin, a world-renowned animal behaviorist and a high-functioning autistic, will speak at Kansas State University at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union.
The lecture, which will cover Grandin's personal and professional life, is free and open to the public. It also will be streamed live on the Web at http://ome.ksu.edu/webcast/bci/blog/index.html.
An HBO movie about Grandin recently won seven Emmy awards. Grandin didn't talk until she was 3 1/2 years old. She was diagnosed with autism in 1950, and her parents were told she should be institutionalized. Instead, Grandin developed her ability to think in pictures and see situations through the perspective of animals into a successful career as a livestock-handling equipment designer. She has now designed the facilities in which half the cattle are handled in the United States.
Her first book, "Emergence: Labeled Autistic," stunned the world. Until its publication, most professionals and parents assumed that an autism diagnosis was virtually a death sentence for achievement or productivity in life.
Grandin's lecture is sponsored by Food for Thought, a grassroots group of K-State students who seek to bridge the gap between agriculture and consumers. The group includes undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students, as well as young alumni, and works under the guidance of faculty adviser Dan Thomson, the director of K-State's Beef Cattle Institute.
ARCHITECT FROM MEXICO TO PRESENT COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING AND DESIGN LECTURE
Architect Mauricio Rocha Iturbide will examine the relationships among design process, building process and usage process in his architecture at a lecture sponsored by the Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning and Design.
Rocha will present "Processes in Architecture" at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, in the Little Theater of the K-State Student Union. The event is free and open to the public.
Rocha is principal of Taller de Arquitectura of Mexico City. He graduated with honors from the Max Cetto Studio at the Faculty of Architecture of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1990. He served as a studio professor at the Max Cetto Studio from 1992 to 1998, and at Anahuac and Iberoamericana universities in 2004. As an architect he works in both the public and private spheres, alternating his architectural practice with ephemeral architectural interventions in art exhibitions as well as with museography. He is currently a juror of art and culture for the National Foundation for Arts and Culture Commission of Arts.
His lecture will show how processes vary depending on the physical and social environment in which they are found. He will use examples from urban ephemeral architecture as well as contemporary, national and international award-winning projects designed in his office.
Rocha has lectured around the world, and his work has been published in The Architectural Review, Arquine, Obras and many other publications and books.
Rocha's visit to the U.S. is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota's College of Design and the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas. At K-State, funding is provided by the K-State student fine arts fee.
Design professionals can submit attendance at the lecture for continuing education credit by contacting Diane Potts at 785-532-1090 or potts@k-state.edu. For more information on the lecture, contact Tim de Noble at 785-532-5950 or tdenoble@k-state.edu.
CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE 8TH ANNUAL K-STATE TEACHING RETREAT
The Faculty Exchange for Teaching Excellence announces a call for papers and posters for the Eighth Annual K-State Teaching Retreat, Leading a Community of Learners, to be held in the Leadership Studies Building from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. All faculty, staff, graduate students and individuals in leadership positions are encouraged to submit proposals.
Milton D. Cox, professor emeritus of mathematics, will deliver the keynote speech, "Involving Community in Learning: Making Connections for Your Classroom and Campus, Your Students and Colleagues."
As a leading proponent of learning communities, Cox has shared his expertise with numerous educational institutions and with thousands of students and faculty members. He is a consultant for the Center for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching, and University Assessment at Miami University of Ohio, the director of the International Lilly Conference on College Teaching, editor-in-chief of the Learning Communities Journal and the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal on Centers for Teaching and Learning.
Cox has documented evidence of successful learning communities within a single class, entire disciplines and across curricula. This teaching retreat will examine the concept of learning communities in all their variations and then further explore our collective understanding of the potentialities inherent in them.
Possible paper and poster topics might address questions such as: By what processes do learning communities coalesce and who leads them? How do communities strengthen connections between what is taught and how well it is learned? How do different communities connect to each other? What sorts of learning communities exist beyond the classroom? How do we investigate and chronicle the activities of learning communities? Which learning community activities are most effective in engaging students, faculty members, and administrators? What benefits do learning communities hold for the institution as a whole and for society at large?
Additional ideas for paper and poster topics, as well as the procedures for submitting proposals, can be found at: http://www.k-state.edu/catl/fete/.
The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, Nov. 12. Presenters will be notified by Monday, Nov. 22.
Registration for the retreat will be announced at a later date.
DIRECTOR OF A.Q. MILLER SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS ADDRESSES MEDIA IN EGYPT
Media management is changing in Egypt, according to the director of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Angela Powers just spent three weeks working with more than 120 media managers and professionals to promote transparency in media organizations in Egypt, a country of 80 million people.
"This is a critical time in Egypt. They want to be recognized for their contributions to the world, and one way is through professional media," Powers said.
The U.S. Agency for International Development project, funded through IREX, an international nonprofit organization that promotes leadership and programming for positive global change, offered workshops in Cairo, Egypt, a city of 18 million. Cairo is home to the country's national media, including noted newspapers Al Ahram and El Akhbar.
All of Egypt's major media organizations, including five newspapers and network radio and television stations, are owned by the government. Television remains the most popular medium in Egypt, and Egyptians rely on state radio for recitations from the Koran, Powers said.
"Media managers in Cairo are interested in learning how to structure media organizations because professionals were often appointed based on connections or family affiliations in the past," Powers said. "National media organizations in Egypt tend to be overstaffed, with three people doing the work of one."
As Egypt experiences economic downturns just like the rest of the world, companies are looking to reorganize for efficiency. The government is also interested in privatizing its media, she said.
Powers taught a group of young media professionals from a variety of fields, including public relations, advertising, radio, television and newspapers, at Cairo University as part of the USAID Media Development Program.
"I helped them create proposals for their organizations -- realistic plans for moving their organizations into the digital age," she said. "We covered topics such as mission statements, leadership skills, strategic analysis and media ethics."
Topics about relationships at work were of particular interest because of Egypt's history as an authoritarian society, Powers said.
Photo: (From left) Ayman Salah, U.S. Agency for International Development; Angela Powers, director of K-State's A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications; and Ashraf Mahamoud, Al Ahram, at a recent workshop in Cairo, Egypt.