| Fresh Perspective on American Life Comes to KRCU-FM - Award winning program This American Life invents radio vérité Feb. 26, 1999 -- KRCU 90.9 FM will soon offer listeners This American Life, an innovative program that documents and describes contemporary America. This American Life will begin airing at 9 a.m. March 14, following Weekend Edition. “This American Life is one of public radio's most creative new programs,” says General Manager Greg Petrowich, “and we're pleased that we can offer it to KRCU listeners.” Built around the personal vision of host Ira Glass, This American Life offers a new kind of radio storytelling. Each week, it explores a theme -- fiascos, Sinatra, conventions, the job that takes over your life -- through a mix of radio monologues, mini-documentaries, “found tape,” and unusual music. At this point, the program finds and commissions more original fiction than any other show on public radio. The stories on This American Life range from humorous and engaging to disturbing and bittersweet. Glass finds writers and performers whose work hasn't been heard on radio, and produces their stories alongside his own commentary in a way that critics praise as “riveting,” “mesmerizing.” The series won a Peabody Award in its first year of broadcast. UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SPRING CONCERT TO SHOWCASE STUDENT SOLOISTS Mar. 12, 1999 -- The Southeast Missouri State University Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Sara Edgerton, will perform its spring concert at 8 p.m. March 30 in Academic Auditorium on the Southeast campus. The concert will feature symphonic compositions by Sibelius and Ravel and will showcase the student winners of the Annual Concerto and Aria Competition held at Southeast Missouri State University. Joining the orchestra will be three Southeast student soloists, winners of the competition held earlier in the year. Flutist Andy Brown from Dawson Springs, Ky., will perform Chaminade’s “Flute Concertino” with the orchestra. Soprano singer Alison Nall from Cape Girardeau will perform the famous aria, “Si, mi chiamano Mimi” from the opera “La Boheme” by Puccini. Nall will be joined by soprano Jamie Becker from Jackson, Mo., in a performance of a duet from the opera “Norma” by Bellini. Each year, the University showcases its outstanding student soloists in this spring concert with the University Symphony Orchestra. “It has been a pleasure to work with these student soloists; they are performing on a very high level of artistic and technical ability,” Edgerton said. “The two vocal arias are very colorful and attractive, and the flute concerto is full of technical highlights for the soloist. From the popular “Bolero” to the wonderful student soloists, this concert should appeal to all music enthusiasts.” Two symphonic orchestra works will be performed on the program. Finland’s most celebrated composer, Jean Sibelius, wrote the “Karelia Suite” in 1893 as music to accompany an historical play presented at a university in East Finland. The three-movement work is characterized by the rich orchestral sonorities and attractive, folk-like melodies that are hallmarks of Sibelius’ style. Also to be performed on the concert will be the famous “Bolero” by French composer Maurice Ravel. This work has been popularized by its use in film scores and in the gold-medal winning figure skating performance by Olympic skaters Torvill and Dean in the 1980s. Written in 1928 as music for a ballet, “Bolero” uses a repetitive Spanish dance rhythm pattern with melodies from all sections of the orchestra. Orchestral color is enhanced by the use of the saxophones and several unusual double-reed instruments, including the oboe d’amore. Tickets for the concert will be available at the door. Tickets are $5 and $3 for students and senior citizens. Admission is free with a valid University I.D. For more information, please call the Department of Music at (573) 651-2141. CHEROKEE APPALACHIA POET/STORYTELLER TO SPEAK AT SOUTHEAST APRIL 6 Mar. 12, 1999 -- Awiakta, the distinguished Cherokee/Appalachia poet, storyteller and essayist will speak April 6 on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. The event is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Glenn Auditorium of Robert A. Dempster Hall. The title of her presentation is "Cherokee Mother Roots for the Millenium." Awiakta is the author of the book, Selu: Seeking the Corn Mother's Wisdom," which has received international acclaim for its pioneering fusion of her Cherokee and Appalachian mountain heritages with scientific thought. The French literary journal Poesie Premiere featured her work in a 35-page retrospective published recently in Paris, with an artist's sketch of Awiakta on the cover. A review by Alexandr Vaschenko of the Gorky Institute of World Literature, published in the North Dakota Quarterly, called her a master of words, pointing out that Awiakta's book, Selu, "finds itself today in the very midst of environmental literature of the latest important addition to both American and world environmental, as well as to interdisciplinary, studies." Although born in Knoxville, Tenn., Awiakta was raised in Oak Ridge, Tenn., one of the major nuclear research centers of the world. Therefore, in addition to her Cherokee and Appalachian heritages, she also acquired a strong scientific background. Awiakta notes that "growing up in Oak Ridge gave me yet another culture, because the scientific and high-tech world has its own value system, its own world view, and its own language." Her ability to weave these different cultures together creates a healing, nurturing and powerful perspective which is truly important for all humans during these complex modern times. Wilma Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma wrote the foreword of Selu, "Seeking the Corn Mother's Wisdom," and emphasized that, "As you read through this extraordinary book, you will be helped onto a path that will enable you to gain a clear sense that there is a way that we can stop destroying the very world that sustains us, and we can return to a time of balance and harmony." Selu is required reading at more than 200 colleges and universities today, including here at Southeast Missouri State University. Selu was a 1995 alternative selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club, and the audiotape was nominated for a 1996 Grammy award. A quote from the book is carved into the granite river wall in Nashville's Bicentennial Capitol Mall. Radford University named its newly created writer's retreat and nature preserve "The Selu Conservancy." Rupert Cutler, the noted book critic, wrote that "Selu may do for the ethnic diversity and gender equality movements what Rachel Carson's Silent Spring did for the environmental movement. Awiakta has received many honors for her work, including the Woman of Vision Award, and the Women of Achievement recognition. She has received the Distinguished Tennessee Writer's Award from the Tennessee Mountain Writers Association, and was honored by the Appalachian Writer's Association for her outstanding contributions to Appalachian literature. She is on the board of the National Woodcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers and has appeared on the PBS program "Telling Tales" and National Public Radio's "Tell It on the Mountain: Appalachian Women Writers." Awiakta uses her deep passion for life, her unique perspectives, and her wry sense of humor to create connections among different cultures. As she says, "Through blood and experience, I'm a bridge between different cultures. I hope my work can be used in that way to make bridges of understanding." “MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION AND THE TEACHING OF HISTORY” TO BE TOPIC OF ANNUAL DUGGER LECTURE Mar. 12, 1999 -- “Multicultural Education and the Teaching of History” will be the topic of the annual Harold Holmes Dugger Lecture scheduled for April 1 at Southeast Missouri State University. Dr. Charles Taylor, director of education program at the Center for Professional Development of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) in Madison, Wis., will present the lecture at 8 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. In addition, Taylor will make a Common Hour presentation at noon March 31 on issues facing minority students on predominantly white campuses. The event will be in Crisp Hall Auditorium. A Cape Girardeau native, Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Southeast Missouri State and a master’s degree from the University of Oregon. He earned his doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to assuming his current position with CUNA, Taylor served as the regional dean at Cardinal Stritch University, the second largest private educational institution in Wisconsin. Taylor is the author of several monographs and the executive producer of an award-winning civil rights documentary. Reservations for the dinner preceding the lecture may be made through the Department of History, A.S.J. Carnahan Hall, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO, 63701. The cost is $11 per person. The deadline for reservations is March 26. The Dugger Lecture Series was established by the Department of History in 1988 to honor Harold Holmes Dugger, professor of diplomatic and intellectual history and former chair of the Department of History. The Dugger Lecture Fund enjoys the continued support of faculty, students, alumni and friends of the University. This year’s lecture is part of the University’s 125th anniversary celebration. REBECCA FULGHAM ELECTED OFFICER OF MMTA Mar. 12, 1999 -- Rebecca Fulgham, director of the Southeast Missouri Music Academy, has been elected vice president for auditions in the Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMTA) for 1999-2000. She will coordinate the state’s annual Performance Competitions, Theory Project, Composition Competition, and the state level competitions for the Music Teachers National Association. Membership in the Association is made up of private and college music teachers, as well as those who teach in community music schools such as the Music Academy. The purposes of MMTA are to elevate the standards of teaching and performance of music, and to advance American musical composition. MARTHA WELMAN DAHRINGER AWARD ENDOWED THROUGH FOUNDATION Mar. 12, 1999 -- The Martha Welman Dahringer Award has been endowed through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Lee Dahringer provided $10,000 to endow the scholarship, which is being designated to support graduate teaching assistants. The award is to assist these students in buying books or supplies, supporting their travel to conferences or in providing other similar support as determined annually by the Department of English Graduate Committee. The award will be made for two semesters, with the amount divided equally between the two. The first award will be made for the fall 1999 semester. Martha Welman Dahringer, for whom the scholarship is named, served on the English faculty at Southeast for many years. Among other duties, she supervised graduate students of English as they learned to become teachers. This work has the culmination of a long career in education, a life’s work which brought her great satisfaction and inspired her son’s choice of a career. ACT EXAM PREP TO BE OFFERED THROUGH SOUTHEAST Mar. 12, 1999 -- Beginning March 30, Southeast Missouri State University will again offer a review course for area high school juniors and seniors preparing to take the American College Testing Assessment (ACT Exam). Review sessions will be conducted by Southeast faculty and staff and area high school teachers and will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. in Robert A. Dempster Hall on the Southeast campus. Four sessions are available, one for each area of the ACT Assessment: Math Review: March 30 Science Review: March 31 Reading Review: April 6 English Review: April 8 The March/April prep course is designed for students planning to take the ACT Assessment on the April 10 or June 12 test dates. The cost of the prep course is $15 per session or $50 for all four. For more information, call the Office of Continuing Education at Southeast at (573) 651-2189. RICHARD A. MORAN MEMORIAL RESTRICTED SCHOLARSHIP ESTABLISHED THROUGH FOUNDATION Mar. 12, 1999 -- The Richard A. Moran Memorial Restricted Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. The Department of Agriculture at Southeast Missouri State University has provided $500 to establish the restricted scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a student majoring in agriculture at Southeast. Those eligible for the scholarship must be declared majors in agribusiness or agriculture. Recipients must have completed at least 30 semester credit hours overall by the end of the current academic year. Candidates also must be in sound academic standing with the University, be an active member of the Agriculture Club, be a Missouri resident and intend to graduate from Southeast with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture or agribusiness. Recipients also must demonstrate financial need. The Scholarship Committee and the Department of Agriculture will select the recipient. The first award will be made this spring for the fall 1999 semester. Moran, for whom the scholarship is named, graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in the spring of 1971. He completed a bachelor of science degree with a major in agriculture and a minor in biology. He attended Jefferson Junior College at Hillsboro, Mo., for his first two years of collegiate studies. He was an active member of the Agriculture Club while completing his degree at Southeast. Those interested in applying for the scholarship must pick up an application in the University’s Department of Agriculture. F. MARION AND MARTHA RHODES SCHOLARSHIP FUND ESTABLISHED THROUGH FOUNDATION Mar. 12, 1999 -- The F. Marion and Martha Rhodes Scholarship Fund has been endowed through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. F. Marion “Dusty” and Martha Rhodes provided $87,991 to endow the scholarship, which will be awarded to a student from Stoddard, Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Dunklin or Pemiscot counties. The recipient also must have a 3.0 grade point average and demonstrate financial need. The scholarship will be awarded for the first time for the fall 1999 semester. F. Marion Rhodes now lives in San Diego, was reared on a cotton farm in New Madrid County and graduated from Gideon High School. He is a 1932 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and received a law degree from George Washington University Law School. Rhodes joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1934 and served as a naval officer in World War II. After the war, he returned to the Department of Agriculture and served in several positions before he was named president of the New York Cotton Exchange in 1960. He retired as president emeritus of the Exchange. In 1973, Rhodes was the recipient of the Alumni Merit Award from Southeast Missouri State University. He also received the Superior Service Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was listed in Who’s Who in America. |
