I hope your week has been going well since I last posted. Things on campus have been very festive and students are gearing up for finals. Let me catch you up on some campus events as well as visit information and... yes, another contest!
Academics:
Eighteen Valparaiso University professors have received grants from the University’s Committee to Enhance Learning and Teaching for classroom tools and software, travel expenses and other activities designed to improve student learning.
Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded to:
- Dr. Carter Hanson, associate professor of English, for expenses involved in developing a new graduate-level course on the cultural history of electronic dance music from the 1970s to the present;
- Drs. Angela Vernon and David Simpson, assistant professors of psychology, to conduct a survey examining the relationship between an individual’s level of moral reasoning and perception of the purpose of Valparaiso’s honor code;
- Dr. Zuhdi Aljobeh, associate professor of civil engineering, to accompany a team of engineering students on a service learning trip to Central America next spring and collect information about water and air quality, interview community leaders and study possible solutions to a community’s health issues;
- Elise Alverson, adjunct assistant professor of nursing, to attend a conference on dietary supplements offered by National Institutes of Health;
- Dr. Nirupama Devaraj, assistant professor of economics, to present her research on collective action and international carbon dioxide regulations at a national economics conference;
- Dr. Del Gillispie, assistant professor of education, to support a service learning trip by education majors to Nicaragua during March 2009;
- Dr. Christina Grabarek, assistant professor of education, to present research on predicting eating disorder risk at the National Association of School Psychologists’ annual conference;
- Dr. Todd Hillwig, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, to observe and collect data on the formation and shaping process of planetary nebulae at the South American Research Telescope in Chile;
- Dr. Jennifer Hora, assistant professor of political science, to present a paper on “Fantasy Congress,” an online drafting game similar to fantasy football, and its impact on student learning at a conference of the American Political Science Association;
- Dr. Larry Jorgensen, assistant professor of philosophy, to present a paper on philosopher Gottfried Leibniz at a seminar on early modern philosophy;
- Dr. Carlos Miguel-Pueyo, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures, to present a paper on the meaning of the use of blue color by European Romantic writer G.A. Becquer at an international colloquium in Germany;
- Dr. Rachel Rivers Parroquin, lecturer in foreign languages and literatures, to serve as an interpreter for a service learning trip to Central America during March 2009 by students from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Nursing and Engineering;
- Dr. David Simpson, assistant professor of psychology, to present his research on religion and psychology at an international conference of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies;
- Dr. Zsuzsanna Szaniszlo, associate professor of mathematics and computer science, to participate in the annual Joint Meetings of the Mathematical Societies, including a panel on undergraduate research;
- Dr. Paul Tougaw, assistant professor of education, to present a paper and workshop on professional and ethical dilemmas facing young teachers at the International Phi Delta Kappa Summit and to present sessions on classroom management and the interview process at the National American Association for Employment in Education;
- Dr. Jeff Will, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, to allow him and an undergraduate engineering student to travel to Japan and collaborate with faculty at Hokkaido University on deploying virtual reality technology in their teaching, as well as bringing ideas back to Valparaiso;
- Drs. Stanislaus Zygmunt and Andrew Richter, associate professors of physics and astronomy, to attend a national conference of the American Association of Physics Teachers and learn more about creative pedagogical innovations and best practices in college-level physics instruction.
Extracurricular:
- Basketball season is about to start with a few exhibition games already taking place. Valpo has been guaranteed 3 ESPN appearances this season with a possibility of 7! Make sure to check our website to see what games will be on ESPN (http://www.valpo.edu/athletics)
- Co-ed volleyball has wrapped up and now it's onto intramural basketball season. Students are tearing up the courts and staying occupied outside of the classroom.
- With the new union almost finished and ready for it's grand opening on January 4, 2009... office that will be located in the Harre Union are making their move into the new facility.
- Stop.Drop.Rewind. performed in the Christopher Center during an end of semester gathering. Students were able to relax, decorate and eat cookies, listen to some music and mingle.
Now onto the contest-- with the new year just around the corner and since most people reading this are in high school and about to graduate, whomever can submit the best New Years GOAL will win an amazing surprise. Deadline is January 15, 2009 midnight CST. This can be a wide variety of goals-- example: Each year my resolution is the same-- do at least one thing per year that scares me. This year I went to China with 17 people from the MBA program that I hardly knew, never having traveled abroad before. It's still up in the air what I will do next year, but I know it will be hard to top a trip like the one I experienced when going to China.
Many of you have received your Acceptance letters from many schools and are facing the dreaded, "So what are you doing after high school? Where are you going to school??" Trust me, I completely understand how obnoxious it can get and also how intimidating the whole college decision process can be. As much as I would like to say, "You HAVE to be at Valpo!" if you're not happy, it's a lose lose situation for all. Take time to figure out the pro's and con's of each school you are considering and remember, if you ever have questions or have concerns and would like to chat-- that's why I'm here! This is a very exciting time in your life and you should feel very proud of your hard work and, while perhaps feeling a bit sad about ending your highschool days, look forward to the awesome doors that are opening right before you.
Keep in mind that visiting campus definitely helps with making a final decision. May 1, 2009 is the decision deadline, but you can submit your deposit any time before. We have some overnight visits scheduled (DVD's) in January, Febuary and March-- with our first one being tonight-- where we'll match you up with a current student, you get to chill on campus, go to class, meet with the profs and see what it would be like to attend Valpo. I strongly encourage you to attend one and get to know our awesome hosts and students while learning about the Valpo experience.
As an early head's up starting January 1, 2009 you can start filing the FAFSA, but until then I encourage you to file the early aid estimator.
I hope you are having a wonderful week! Look for an update next week.
And remember-- be legendary in your own way!
No comments:
Post a Comment