This year’s full-time faculty recipients are Kristen DiFate, assistant professor of Digital Advertising in the Communications and Journalism Department of the School of Communications, and Julie Palmer, assistant professor of Management in the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology. Part-time faculty recipients are Jack Delman and Leon Hutton, both adjunct faculty at Webster’s Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling location.

DiFate was honored at the 2013 Commencement Dinner.

Kristen DiFate: Pushing Students to Succeed

DiFate, program coordinator for Advertising and Marketing Communications, was recognized for her commitment to preparing her students for the undefined future that awaits them in the fast-changing field of communications. Her nominators described her as creative, energetic and influential, an instructor who gets students to tap into potential they didn’t realize they had.

Kristen challenges her students to challenge the future. Several nominated her for pushing and testing their talents. “She pushed me to create more and more,” one said. “Even after her class ended, I was still pushing.”

Or as one faculty nominator put it, “She gains a rapport with students that comes from a mix of real world experience, a collaborative approach to teaching, and a freshness that, for lack of a better explanation, feels ‘right.’”

Palmer at the Faculty/Staff Recognition Breakfast

Julie Palmer: Inside and Outside the Classroom

Palmer, the advisor of the Students in Free Enterprise organization on campus, was recognized for expanding students’ view of learning outside the classroom, and for being the push and the support many students need to achieve their full potential.

Nominators praised her work and accessibility with students inside and outside the classroom.

A student nominator said, “She played a significant role in challenging me to not only be a successful student, but be an achieving individual.”

Another said Palmer “sacrifices and goes beyond her level of responsibility to deliver quality teaching to her students … She radiates knowledge that is thought-provoking, fresh and relatable.”

Jack Delman: Dedicated, Passionate

Delman, an administrative law judge for the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, was recognized for “challenging his students to transcend in their learning experiences from mere receivers to seekers of knowledge.” Jack”s nominators described him as “engaged, knowledgeable, respectful and, most of all, patient.”

“Jack is the very model of the modern adjunct faculty,” one said. “Highly professionally qualified, dedicated to student success and achievement, and a leader in our community.”

Said one student of Judge Delman, as many call him: “I’ve been in the field for over eight years and I learned more in his one class than I have in other job-related training I’ve taken throughout the years.”

“Professor Delman is a humble scholar of the law and has a deep passion, love and understanding of it,” said another.

Hutton was honored in St. Louis at the annual Commencement Dinner.

Leon Hutton: Guidance that Inspires

Hutton, area mentor for the MBA program, was recognized for guiding, communicating and creating successful student learning across the program and getting students to produce great results in the capstone program.

One nominator says when he was planning a local scholarship drive, he was “poised to tackle the multitude of business and management challenges of today and the future” because of his teaching.

Students appreciate his “ability to teach complicated subjects like advanced corporate finance in a way that is enjoyable, comprehensible and applicable.”

One military student called professor Hutton “an inspiration and an integral component” of the Webster experience. Another said “his guidance and constructive feedback continues to serve me well as I interact with high-ranking military officers during my daily duties.”

Each year Kemper Award recipients are honored at the annual commencement dinner and faculty/staff breakfast in St. Louis, as well as other events throughout the year that celebrate and share insights from their teaching approach.

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Britt-Marie Schiller

The Roswell and Wilma Messing Sabbatical Awards provides the resources for a Webster University faculty member to complete international research projects and infuse the results of their studies into their curricula and teaching.

This year’s recipient is Britt-Marie Schiller, professor and chair of the Philosophy Department in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Joe Schuster’s Novel Garners Accolades

“All in a Weekend” on Canada’s CBC radio network featured Joe Schuster‘s novel, The Might Have Been, as one of three outstanding recent baseball books, the only novel on the list. Schuster is professor in the department of communications and journalism in the Webster University School of Communications.

Jamie Ansley ’00

His book is also the Kirkwood Public Library’s selection for their 2013 “One Book, One Kirkwood.” Schuster will appear in a program to discuss the book at the Library on June 18 at 7 p.m.

Umbaugh on Global Citizenship Program

Bruce Umbaugh is quoted in a College Express article about the purpose of general education requirements. Umbaugh, a philosophy professor in Webster’s College of Arts & Sciences, helped lead the redesign of the core curriculum. The article describes how Webster’s new Global Citizenship Program stresses:

…the importance of learning general skills like problem solving, communicating effectively, and analyzing information.

“It’s not just that they need to know a bunch of stuff and take a test; they need to be positioned to use that knowledge in the world,” Umbaugh says. The program at Webster was created in a way that gives students repeated practice with their acquired skills in a more realistic setting.

Rishe on Sports Business: Garcia, Beckham

Sports economics expert Patrick Rishe penned two recent columns on the business of sports for Forbes online, including one on the financial missed opportunities for golfer Sergio Garcia. Rishe also wrote about how soccer player David Beckham’s star appeal will keep his personal brand relevant long after his retirement, which he announced this year.

Rishe is a business professor in Webster’s George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology.

Alumna Researches Drama Therapy in Hemodialysis

Webster University alumna Jamie Ansley ’00 is exploring the effects of drama therapy on patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. Her master’s thesis work at Kansas State University has researchers among the first in the world to study the topic.

Patients cannot move around during treatment, so Ansley brought prompts like pictures, games, guided imagery and music. Rather than have patients spend the downtime focused on worries, “discovering a new talent and finding a passion for creativity can change a person’s perception of his or her life,” Ansley says.

Webster Vienna’s Kummer is Financial Times Professor of the Week

The Financial Times selected Webster University professor Christopher Kummer as its “Professor of the Week.” Kummer is director of the graduate business program at the Webster Vienna campus and faculty member in Webster’s George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology.

Each week, the publication selects a business school professor, an expert in his or her field, to defines a key term for its online economics, business and finance glossary. Read the profile of Kummer at the FT site.

Rothenbuhler

Dean Rothenbuhler on NBC Affiliate: Digital Viewing Habits

Eric Rothenbuhler, dean of the Webster University School of Communications, was part of a segment by NBC affiliate KSDK discussing the nature of “time shifting” television viewing via digital video recorders (DVRs). St. Louis is reportedly the biggest user of DVRs to delay watching shows.

Rothenbuhler says digital video recorders have started a revolution and the TV viewer is winning. “The revolution of the DVR is the way it changes the audience experience, allows audiences to choose when where and how they watch their television, and the way in which that upsets the business model of television,” he said.

Read or watch the segment at KSDK here.

Professor Cross on NPR Affiliate: Gun Laws and Changing Attitudes

Cross

St. Louis National Public Radio affiliate KWMU spoke with Webster University College of Arts & Sciences professor Remy Cross for its segment examining gun ownership and changing attitudes towards ownership and control among Americans. Cross is an assistant professor of sociology with a background in law and society, social movements, protest policing, social problems and deviance.

Referencing data from the Pew Research Institute that shows increased acceptance of gun ownership among younger generations, reporter Sean Sandefur investigated possible reasons why, and why new regulations are so strenuously advocated against. Read more or listen to the segment at St. Louis Public Radio’s website.

Coaches Scott and Gina Jensen

“Competing at the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament is like qualifying for the NCAA tournament in basketball,” Gina Jensen said. “The students who qualify have to place in the top two at three tournaments throughout the year. This is a feat that is not always easy for smaller schools and one upon which we pride ourselves.”

“This is regarded one of the toughest of all the national forensics tournaments, with invitations earned each year through consistent wins across the schedule,” said Eric Rothenbuhler, dean of the School of Communications. “The Webster team earning an invitation for 15 straight years speaks volumes to the consistently high quality of our coaching.”

“The qualification process for these tournaments is stringent and arduous resulting in so few reaching the pinnacle opportunity to participate,” said AFA-NIET chair Peter Pober. “Both the coaches and students of Webster University are to be commended for a praiseworthy accomplishment.”

President Stroble commended faculty and staff for a beautiful Commencement and the close of the academic year.

An annual post-commencement tradition, Webster University faculty and staff gathered at the home campus in Webster Groves for the Faculty and Staff Recognition Breakfast Tuesday, May 14.

President Beth Stroble commented on Saturday’s successful 2013 Commencement ceremony, as well as highlights of the academic year that was. She commended faculty and staff for their awards and years of service and gave tribute to new retirees.

2013 William T. Kemper Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Provost Julian Schuster introduced the Kemper and Messing award winners, citing quotes from students and colleagues who nominated them for these prestigious awards.

The William T. Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching is made possible by the William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank Trustees. Faculty members are nominated by their colleagues and are selected by a University committee.

Full-time Faculty

• Kristen DiFate, assistant professor, Department of Communications & Journalism, St. Louis
  
• Julie Palmer, assistant professor, Department of Management, St. Louis
  

Adjunct Faculty

• Jack Delman, adjunct professor, Management, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
  
• Leon Hutton, adjunct professor, Business, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.

Wilma and Roswell Messing Jr. Faculty Award

The Wilma and Roswell Messing Jr. Faculty Award is presented each year to a full-time faculty member who presents the most promising proposal for a summer activity that will strengthen the curriculum of his or her department and the University, or will improve the teaching and learning relationship. Faculty proposals are peer-reviewed by an appointed University committee.

Britt-Marie Schiller, chair and professor, Philosophy, is the 2012-13 winner. She will study feminist philosophy, in particular the work of the philosopher Luce Irigaray, from a Nordic perspective. She will attend a conference in Norway where she will network with other feminist philosophers to gain an understanding of Nordic feminist philosophy.

Staff Member of the Year

Cherry accepts the Staff Member of the Year award from President Stroble.

Academic advisor Tyann Cherry was honored as the 2012-13 Staff Members of the Year for demonstrating untiring dedication in providing support services to students as well as administrative and technical support to the Office of Academic Advising. Cherry is “a problem solver, whose knowledge of how to execute plans has resulted in many students — who might otherwise have been missed — having the opportunity to complete their degrees.”

She was also credited for her assistance in executing of the Military Tuition Assistance Program (MTAP) this spring. “Working with key University employees over the weekend, Tyann handled the difficult task, making the operation seamless.”

Memorial Day Holiday

Also at the breakfast, it was announced that the faculty/staff campaign goal was reached, meaning University employees would receive the Friday before Memorial Day off as a paid holiday.

Located in the Mojave Desert, Cal-Earth is at the cutting edge of Earth and Ceramic Architecture technologies today.

Julian H. Scaff, assistant professor in the Department of Art, has been awarded an artist-in-residency at the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth) for the summer 2013, and appointed Research Fellow for the 2013-14 academic year.

After his summer residency at Cal-Earth in Hesperia, Calif., Scaff will return to the institute during the fall and spring to give lectures and collaborate with architects and engineers. Scaff plans to make video and audio documentaries, media-based artworks, and do research on environmental design that incorporates Cal Earth’s proprietary building methods.

About Cal-Earth

The California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture is a non-profit/charitable foundation at the cutting edge of Earth and Ceramic Architecture technologies today. Founded in 1986, its scope spans technical innovations published by NASA for lunar and Martian construction, to housing design and development for the world’s homeless for the United Nations.

Cal-Earth’s mission is guided by three principles: (1) shelter is a basic human right, (2) every human being should be able to build a house for him or herself, and (3) the best way to provide shelter for the exponentially increasing human population is by building with earth.

Faculty members who wish to ask questions, to get tips and information about their personal portfolio and want general information from the committee about the process to gain tenure or FDL status or promotion may attend.

Who:  Faculty seeking promotion and/or initial status for 2013-14

What:  Informational meeting with CRF committee members

Where:  Emerson Library Conference Room

When:  Wednesday, May 15, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

If you have any questions in advance, please contact any of the CRF committee members:

Ted Green, CRF Chair

Joe Schuster

Silvia Navia

Dian Davitt

David Porras

Marty Smith

Daniel Schene

Register online now for Webster’s third annual GCP Collaboratory, May 20-22.

Faculty and academic partners from throughout the world of Webster will gather shortly to learn and share in the Global Citizenship Program (GCP) Collaboratory. This year’s event is scheduled for May 20, 21 and 22, in the East Academic Building, on the Home Campus in Webster Groves.

This year’s Keynote Speaker is Kristine LaLonde. For the past six years, LaLonde has directed Belmont University’s Honors Leadership Studies Program. At Belmont, LaLonde instituted the Teaching Teamwork program, which partnered with professors to create better group-work practices in their classrooms. Her Keynote address “Killing the Team: Rancor, Worst Practices, and the Death of Democracy,” takes place Tuesday morning.

Also speaking at this year’s Collaboratory is John Simpson, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the Webster Groves School District. Simpson’s talk, “Common Core: One School District’s Response,” will inform us about the Common Core State Standards, how this widely adopted set of standards aligns with our own undergraduate curricular efforts, and what we might expect of incoming traditional-age students in the coming years. Simpson speaks on Monday morning.

Throughout the Collaboratory, attendees can expect a mix of plenary presentations and concurrent working sessions that address practicing collaboration, expectations for students, helping students integrate academic and real world learning, tips for teaching GCP skills, training on how to use WorldClassRoom (Canvas), developing learner-driven classroom experiences, advising and evaluating transfer credit for the GCP and more.

As in the past, participants should come away from the Collaboratory with practical tools and approaches they can use in their teaching and other work at Webster. It is also a great occasion for making new connections with colleagues from around the world of Webster, at breakfast and lunch, during working sessions, or during the Tuesday reception.

This event is open to the entire university community. To register for the 2013 Collaboratory, click here: http://www.webster.edu/faculty/collaboratory

In addition, this year’s GCP Collaboratory will be combined with the annual workshop for faculty teaching in the First Year Seminar program. It also provides an occasion for the teams developing Global Keystone Seminars as part of the GCP to meet and further their work. Keystone groups will meet throughout the Collaboratory; FYS faculty will meet Wednesday morning, as well as participate in the events of the other days.

Williams

When it comes to graduation, School of Communications academic advisor Linda Williams marches to the beat of a different drummer, literally.

As a tenor drummer in the bagpipe band that will lead the graduates in at this Saturday’s Commencement on May 11, Williams will be listening for the beat of the bass drum, and then working to add to the complex rhythms.

“The tenor drums add flourish in between the beats,” Williams said. But it’s more than that. The tenor drummers also synchronize how they twirl their sticks, so that the performance is enhanced visually.

“That takes a lot of practice. When I was first learning it, I hit myself in the face with my sticks often, and even managed to get one of the bag pipe players.”
She has improved significantly since she started drumming about 26 years ago and says no one is in immediate danger of her twirling drum sticks Saturday.

Read more at webster.edu.