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KSC Receives Financial Literacy Grant

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Keene State recently received a $4000 grant from HIgher One, a technology and payment services company focused on higher education. Higher One’s Financial Literacy Counts grant program was created so schools could fund student awareness campaigns, workshops, online financial literacy tools, and other programs to help students increase their personal financial management skills and abilities.

Keene State College was among the eight colleges and universities selected from a pool of over 80 applicants to receive $30,000 in total funding from the grant. The proposals were selected based their high levels of student involvement in planning and execution, quality, creativity, and impact on the percentage of undergraduate students on campus.

The College used the grant to fund the financial literacy programs that it provides to incoming students during orientation.

Where’d I See That?

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Personally, I think this is a devious challenge:

If you think you know where this is, stick your answer in the hatband of a Montecristi Fino Panama hat (size 22 1/3″) and send it (in protective hat box, por favor) to Newsline, Alumni Center, 229 Main St., Keene, NH 03435. Or use the “comments” link, below.

KSC’s Newest Distinguished Teacher: William Seigh

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Prof. William Seigh, a most distinguished teacher

William Seigh, professor of dance, received the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Teacher Award during the New Student Convocation ceremonies that a kicked off the fall semester on August 25. The Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes excellence in teaching, encouragement of independent thinking, rapport with students, and effective student advising, and Prof. Seigh is the 41st recipient of this distinctive honor.

Prof. Seigh’s impact on his students, the Theatre & Dance Department, and the campus, has been profound, as the many heartfelt letters from alumni, students, and faculty supporting his nomination for the award attest. He has a rare gift of motivating his students to find the excellence within themselves. Becky Midler ’10 remembered that, as a freshman, a knee injury caused her to give up her dream of becoming a dancer—until she met William Seigh. “He told me I can do anything; if my heart was in it, I could move past the injury. Following our conversation, he enrolled me in my first dance class in more than six months. … He worked with me and kept pushing me to reach my goals.”

Joshua Midget ’07 said that “rehearsals with William were rehearsals for life,” and Valerie Snowdon ’05 explained that “William does not simply teach dance; he creates critically thinking, confident, and motivated young citizens.” “With thorough knowledge of his field and enthusiastic diligence,” noted Shawn Ahern ’10, “William pushes his students far beyond their boundaries and guides them as they explore the unknown.”

What’s the secret to such profound teaching and influence? The inspiring acceptance speech that Prof. Seigh gave during convocation offers insight into his approach and is well worth reading.

Jarett Miller Wins Undergrad Research Fellowship

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Jarett Miller, microbiology student extraordinaire

KSC sophomore Jarett Miller has been awarded the American Society for Microbiology’s (ASM) Undergraduate Research Fellowship. This fellowship is aimed at highly competitive students who wish to pursue graduate careers (PhD or MD/PhD) in microbiology. And talk about competitive—Jarett applied for the fellowship last year, when he was a freshman! Fellows have the opportunity to conduct full-time summer research at their institution with an ASM mentor and present their research results at the 112th ASM General Meeting in San Francisco, CA, if their abstract is accepted.

Associate Professor of Biology Loren Launen is Jarett’s mentor. (Read about Dr. Launen in the current issue of Keene State Today.) His research project is titled “Characterization of aerobic polyaromatic hydrocarbon degrading bacteria from tidal wetlands of the Great Bay Estuary, NH.”

Each fellow receives up to a $4,000 stipend, a two-year ASM student membership, and funding for travel expenses to the ASM Presentation Institute and 112th ASM General Meeting. Congratulations, Jarett!

Where to Get the Best Hair Care

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Elle magazine in its article, “United States of Style,” has listed Salon Jacqué in Brattleboro, Vermont, (6 Eliot St.) as one of the top 100 salons in the country. And where would the owner of such an award-winning establishment get her remarkable sense of style? Salon-owner Jacqueline Bilodeau is a 1989 graduate from KSC’s Theatre & Dance Department!
Continue reading Where to Get the Best Hair Care →

Film Students on Film

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For many recent film grads, most of their time at KSC was spent working on Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve: the First Hundred Years of Keene State College. The film, which airs on New Hampshire Public TV at 8 and 9 p.m. on Sept. 26 and several other times this fall (see the schedule), was a grand and serious project, and 80 or so students spent many long hours creating this excellent documentary. As film studies adjunct faculty member and the film’s co-creator Lance Levesque noted, “We set the standard so high that nothing but perfection was acceptable. That doesn’t just happen; you don’t just go out and take a picture. Some of our shoots were eight hours long, to get one shot with the perfect lighting with no shadows, and the prefect movement with no jittering.”

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Alumni! Parents! Pumpkin Fest Parking!

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar, Uncategorized

Hooray! KSC is offering FREE PARKING DURING PUMPKINFEST! Boo! Spaces are limited and you have to reserve one in advance. There’s lots going on on campus that weekend, but the wonderful folks in the Alumni & Parent Relations Office—and Campus Safety, of course!—are holding 50 coveted spaces for alumni and 50 spaces for parents—first come, first served.

You can register online from  October 3 through October 17, or until the spaces are gone. Visit either the Alumni webpage,  or the Parent webpage, where you can find the sign-up form. If you’re one of the lucky early birds, you’ll receive a special parking pass in the mail to place on your dashboard when you’ve parked on campus. Each alumnus or parent may register one vehicle. You’ve got to park before noon on October 22.

Lynn Richardson's "Inside the Fence," currently on exhibit at the UMF Art Gallery.

Prof. Richardson’s Sculpture in Several Galleries

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Lynn Richardson's Inside the Fence, currently on exhibit at the UMF Art Gallery.

Assistant Professor of Sculpture Lynn Richardson’s work is currently appearing in several East Coast galleries. Prof. Richardson is acutely aware of the impact our modern technological progress has on the natural world, and explores that conflict through her sculpture. “We continually exploit our physical world, pushing the limits through our use of technology, neglecting to see the devastating long-term effects it will have on our environment,” Prof. Richardson explained. “My work is intended to be playful, even humorous, in order to soften the hard reality of the underlying message.” However, she also feels “the urgency to respond to these conflicts from the position of an artist that belongs to a different generation.”

So if you’re out and about over the next month or so, visit any of these galleries to be inspired by this sculptor’s amazing work:

Continue reading Prof. Richardson’s Sculpture in Several Galleries →

Paul Baures Accepts David F. Putnam Chemistry Chair

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Chemistry Professor and David F. Putnam Chair Paul Baures

Academic excellence at KSC took another step forward with the appointment of Paul Baures as Professor and David F. Putnam Chair in the Chemistry Department. Dr. Baures brings invaluable expertise in biochemistry and medicinal chemistry to our academic community. For more than two decades, he has been conducting applied and basic research and teaching in the field. He is the recipient of numerous awards and grants from institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, and the American Chemical Society.
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Now Online: Keene State Today!

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The summer 2011 issue of Keene State Today is now online. Read all about how KSC students, professors, and scientists from other NH colleges have become Partners in Science, doing original biomedical research together. Or Meet our Newest Alumni, and take pride in some of the Class of 2011’s stellar students. Learn how KSC’s new nursing major will help shift nursing education and practice to a 21st-century model.

What do Gertrude Carmichael ’36 and Sinéad ‘Mahony ’11 have in common? Well, a sense of KSC community, for one. And read about the amazing accomplishments of Dr. Howard Smith ’42, who came from a hardscrabble Vermont farm to KSC just as a way to get into dental school. Now, at age 92, he’s still teaching surgeons from New York to Honduras. Anyone who’s spent any time on campus knows how carefully the College manages its resources.  You’ll be surprised to learn some of the effective ways that happens.

And you can use the “comments” button to tell us what you think of each article. We’d love to hear from you!

Taylor Thomas Entered Already Serving—and Surfing!

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Taylor Thomas, all smiles for surfing and for her first day on campus

KSC hopes that its students will enter to learn and go forth to serve, but brand-new freshman Taylor Thomas moved into Fiske Hall today with an impressive resume of service already under her belt—or rather, her wetsuit. Taylor and her friend Lindsey Mercer created Surfing with Smiles and spent the summer at Hampton Beach teaching special-needs students how to surf.

“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my life,” Taylor said. “Lindsey and I are big surfers, and we decided that we wanted to give our passion to other people. So it’s not just us loving surfing, it’s other people loving surfing as well.”
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In Memoriam: Prof. William Greer

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The KSC community is sad to learn that Dr. William Benson “Bill” Greer, emeriti professor for industrial technology and safety, passed away in early August. Dr. Greer, originally from Lewiston, Maine, retired from his teaching position at Keene State College in 1994 after 30 years of service. He and his wife, Rosita, moved to Anna Maria Island in Florida’s Gulf Coast in 2002 and purchased an aging resort called the Island Plantation. After years of planning, the Greers demolished the resort and replaced built 12 luxury condominiums in its place. Just as the project neared completion, Dr. Greer was stricken with cancer. He survived the first operation and treatments and was cancer free until May 2011.

Bill Rymes, KSC’s plumbing and heating supervisor, had served as Dr. Greer’s lab assistant and remembers him for his easy-going nature and his keen intellect.  All will remember him for his dedication to his family and his excitement for teaching and technology. The family requests that those wishing to honor Dr. Greer make a donation in his name to the American Cancer Society.

Rich Dart ’94 Keeps the Beat

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Rich Dart '94 on stage with Mickey Dolenz

Here’s another good answer to the question, “What do you do with a music degree?” Rich Dart ’94 left KSC with a BM in Music Performance with a specialization in percussion and a BA in Music Composition. Since then he’s played drums for Avenue Q on Broadway and for its first national tour. He’s toured with a production of Pippin and performs regularly at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. He’s played with Conan O’Brian’s famed trumpeter, Mark Pender, and the great David Johansen. He’s backed Mark Lindsey from Paul Revere and The Raiders, Peter Tork of the Monkees, and the late Andrew Gold. He’s received critical acclaim for his portrayal of “the Musical Merchant” in the Yale Repertoire production of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. Oh, and he married Tracy Mintz (also from the class of 94) and they have a son who turned two in August.
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In Memoriam: Joe Iovieno ’94 M’01

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The KSC community mourns the unexpected passing of Joseph (Joe) Iovieno ’94 M’01 on Friday, August 19. Joe, a Keene resident, had been a figure on campus for many years, both as a student and as an employee. He graduated from Keene State College with a masters degree in human services in December 2001 and started working here  as a painter a month later. Back in 1991 he was a student employee in the psychology lab. Over his 20 years with Keene State, Joe made many friends and was known for his sense of humor, easygoing nature, and love of life.

Prof. Vincent Publishes in Holocaust and Genocide Studies

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Dr. Paul Vincent, chair of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies program at Keene State College, published the article “The Voyage of the St. Louis Revisited,” in the current issue (Fall 2011) of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, one of the journals of Oxford University Press.

In 1939, the MS St. Louis, a German ocean liner with 937 German-Jewish refugees aboard, all of whom had landing permits for Cuba, was denied entry into Havana. Following difficult negotiations, the ship disembarked its passengers in Antwerp, Belgium. Some passengers were granted refuge in England, while the others were divided between Belgium, France, and the Netherlands—all destined to come under Nazi occupation a year later. The event was the subject of a 1974 book, Voyage of the Damned, by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts, adapted for a film with the same title in 1976. Dr. Vincent delves deeply into the diplomacy associated with the voyage, challenging some widely held suppositions about the incident.
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In Memoriam: Kitty Arsenault

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Kitty (here with her with close friend and colleague, Dean Melinda Treadwell) was honored for her service at the May Retiree Recognition Program.

The KSC community was very saddened to learn of the passing of Carol I. “Kitty” Arsenault on August 12, following a long struggle with cancer.

Kitty had just retired from Keene State College this past spring; she served in several capacities on campus.  She began as the administrative assistant at Wheelock School, where she served as the glue that kept the children, parents, teachers, and principals well informed and organized.  After that, Kitty accepted a position supporting the programs and faculty in Technology, Design, and Safety.  Her amazing organizational skills, critical thinking, sense of humor, and nurturing won everyone’s respect and admiration.
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