KSC Mourns the Passing of Effie Torrey ’40, one of the Round Robin Circle

June 20, 2012Uncategorizedobituary

The KSC community is saddened to learn that Effie Wynn Torrey ’40 passed away quietly in her sleep on June 19. Her son was with her.

Effie was one of the seven close friends from the class of 1940 who pledged to keep in touch after they left what was then Keene Teacher’s College. They did so via a round-robin letter that continues to this day, though only two of the original group, Dorothy (Dot) Carruthers and Marion Thorell, are still around to keep the letter going.

Effie was a dedicated alumna, and we’ll miss her charming presence and delightful spirit at Reunion and Golden Circle luncheons.

The Union Leader columnist John Clayton did an article on the round robin circle that appeared in the Fall 2001 issue of Keene State Today.

KSC Provost Receives ADP Award for Leadership in Civic Engagement

June 19, 2012Uncategorizedfaculty

KSC Provost Dr. Mel Netzhammer, winner of the 2012 William Plater Award.

Each year, the American Democracy Project recognizes a Chief Academic Officer (or, in our case, a provost) for his or her leadership in institutionalizing civic engagement on their campus. The William Plater Award for Leadership in Civic Engagement highlights the critical role of the chief academic officer in advancing the civic mission of the campus through curricular reform, public advocacy, accountability for institutional citizenship, faculty development and recruitment, and partnerships with community organizations.

This year, the ADP aptly chose KSC’s provost, Mel Netzhammer, for the William Plater Award. Read all about it.

Honors Students Lend a Hand in Nicaragua

June 18, 2012UncategorizedStudent Standouts, study away

Honors students and teachers in Nicaragua, l–r: Diego Gene (teacher at the Mime School), Prof. Patricia Pedroza, Bryan Fusco, Prof. Peggy Walsh, Josh DiGiovanna, Devin Cutter, Kaitlyn Conor, Velvet Young, Becky Rieger, Jess Pierce, Emily Winskowicz, Rissa Grady, Ali Asmus, Krista Sullivan, Alex Kirk, Kim Christel, Ana Maritza (teacher), and Aldo Marcel (guide).

From Peggy Walsh, professor of sociology and director of KSC’s Honors Program:

“Thirteen Keene State College Global Engagement honors students recently returned from two weeks in Nicaragua, the culmination of a spring course that focused on the social, economic, and political dimensions of this Central American country. The students had studied the early and recent history for a semester and were well prepared to participate in different aspects of the culture, converse with journalists, observe classrooms, and see first-hand the unanticipated consequences of the revolution that began in 1979 and ended just before many of them were born in 1990.
Continue reading Honors Students Lend a Hand in Nicaragua →

Two KSC Students Blaze the Trail for Study in Krakow

June 18, 2012UncategorizedHolocaust & genocide, Student Standouts, study away

Prof. Paul Vincent with Bridget Love (l) and Megan Olson (r) at a Krakow restaurant.

When Paul Vincent (professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies) and Hank Knight (director of the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies) visited Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, last year,their aim was to establish a formal relationship between KSC and Jagiellonian’s Centre for European Studies. “It fit beautifully for us,” Dr. Vincent explained, “especially for the Holocaust part of our major. Krakow is perfectly located within walking distance of the infamous Płaszów concentration camp. The factory mentioned in Schindler’s List is located nearby, as is the ghetto. It’s about a 45-min drive from Auschwitz. If you’re studying the Holocaust, there is a remarkably powerful mental impact to stand in the places where these things happened. You see the world differently when you’re actually studying this in Poland.”

As a result, Jagiellonian University is now part of the KSC Global Education Office’s (GEO) study away program. Particularly exciting was the Centre’s recent decision to offer a master’s level program in Studies in Holocaust and Totalitarian Systems.
Continue reading Two KSC Students Blaze the Trail for Study in Krakow →

EPA Recognizes KSC for Composting Food Waste

June 15, 2012Uncategorizedsustainability

In keeping with it’s standing as one of North America’s greenest campuses, Keene State was recently recognized for joining the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge and taking steps to minimize food waste. KSC is now composting pre-table food waste, thereby eliminating a significant amount of material from the waste stream.

During the 31st Annual Northeast Recycling Conference, the EPA recognized Keene State College, UNH, and Bates College (Lewiston, Maine) and other NH restaurants and organizations that are composting of food scraps on a meaningful scale.

511 New Alums Met the Challenge!

June 13, 2012Uncategorized

KSC sends out a big “thank you” to all the recent alums (2000–2011) who made a gift to the KSC Challenge to Recent Graduates. The challenge has officially ended, and while we fell short of our 742-donor goal, 511 recent grads did step up to the plate and serve up $7,858.59 toward financial aid for current students. That’s the largest number of recent grad donors in KSC history! To show his appreciation for all of you, Bruce LeVine Mellion ’69, the alumnus who created this challenge, has donated an additional $2,500 to the KSC Fund for scholarship and financial aid.

Again, thank you to all for your support and enthusiasm during this challenge. The KSC Phonathon team looks forward to speaking with you next year!

KSC Athletics: for 12 Years, Tops in the LEC

June 11, 2012Uncategorizedsports

Based on the 2011-12 Little East Commissioner’s Cup standings released by the conference office on June 2nd, Keene State College is the top athletic program in the Little East Conference for the 12th consecutive year. The Owls finished either first or second in the final regular season standings in 11 of their 17 conference sponsored sports (.647) to average 7.8974 points on a scale of eight. The Owls have held this lofty perch since the Commissioner’s Cup was founded 12 years ago. Now, that’s something to hoot about!

In Memoriam: Richard Smith, Master Electrician

June 11, 2012Uncategorizedobituary

The KSC community is saddened to hear that Richard Smith, one of our excellent electricians, died of a heart attack on Saturday, June 9.

A modest man, Mr. Smith came to Keene State in 2007 as a master electrician with many years of experience. His colleagues came to respect him for his professional knowledge, work ethic, and commitment to safety. He contributed significantly to the Electrical Shop’s success over the last five years. A 1962 graduate of Conant High School, he received his credentials through the New Hampshire Technical Institute in 1964 and went into business for himself before coming to KSC.

Where’d I See That?

May 30, 2012Uncategorizedalumni, Where'd I See That?

I expect all dedicated alums—and even some parents—to know where this is. By the bye, it’s not working, and I’ve fiddled with it several times, attempting to get it ticking again. Anyone out there want to try their hand?

If you think you know where it stands, please write your answer on a piece of paper and slip it carefully inside a King 3B trombone and send it to Newsline, Alumni Center, 229 Main St., Keene, NH 03435. Or use the “comments” link, below.

The Class of 2012—Biggest Ever!

May 21, 2012Uncategorized

On May 5th, 1,107 KSC seniors accepted at least 1,196 degrees, making theirs the largest class in the College’s 103-year history. And the ceremony on Fiske Quad was also the greenest: KSC worked with the company Balfour to provide caps & gowns made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. It takes about 23 bottles to make one gown, and that’s 23 removed from the tens of millions that end up in U.S. landfills every day. The graduates could keep their gowns, or return them so the material can be used to make artificial turf.

During Commencement, Mary Ann Kristiansen, local entrepreneur, artisan, and community-builder, received the Granite State Award, and Janet Cohen, humanitarian, researcher, and advocate for the Holocaust and related issues of genocide, tolerance, and diversity, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Both women spoke during the ceremony.

More information. …

New Campus Leadership

May 21, 2012Uncategorizedfaculty

When current Keene State College President Helen Giles-Gee and Provost Mel Netzhammer announced earlier this spring that they would be leaving the College to pursue new professional opportunities, the University System of New Hampshire Board and the Keene State College community immediately took steps to fill those critical leadership positions.

Jay Kahn, current vice president for Finance and Planning, will serve as president for a one-year term, and Melinda Treadwell, current dean of Professional and Graduate Studies, will take over as provost for a two-year term. They will assume their new roles in July 2012 when the positions are vacated. Read more. …

To fill the vacancies that drs. Kahn and Treadwell will leave, the College has selected Karen House, current KSC associate vice president for Finance and Planning, to serve as vice president for Finance and Planning for a one-year term and Wayne Hartz, current associate professor for Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences to step into the role of interim dean of Professional and Graduate Studies. Read more. …

KSC has also chosen Dr. Andrew Harris as its new dean of Arts and Humanities. That position became open when Dr. Nona Fienberg decided to step down as dean to focus on her work in the newly formed Holocaust and Genocide Studies department. Dr. Harris will begin his work here on August 1st. Read more about Dr. Harris. …

KSC Ranked among North America’s Greenest Campuses

May 19, 2012Uncategorized

Keene State College puts a lot of effort into maintaining a sustainable campus. And our efforts don’t go unnoticed. For the third-straight year, the College has been listed in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges, which profiles higher-education institutions in the United States and Canada that demonstrate distinguished commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation. KSC also received a silver rating for a recent campus-wide sustainability assessment by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

“Sustainability is a value that Keene State College instills into everything it does as an academic institution,” said Mary Jensen, Keene State College Campus Sustainability Officer. “Faculty, staff, and students all have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability—from Ashuelot River cleanups to student research projects that help inform city governments. The most exciting part is that the College incorporates sustainability in the curriculum, operations, student life, and the College’s mission and values. It is truly a collaborative effort across campus.”

Dr. Bryant Receives Grant to Attend Seminar in Spain & Morocco

May 18, 2012Uncategorizedfaculty, grant

Assistant Professor of Geography Lara Bryant has received a $5,500 grant from the Marion & Jasper Whiting Foundation to support her project, “Crossing the Strait of Gibraltar: Exploring the Coexistence and Challenges of Neighboring Cultures.”

Dr. Bryant will attend a two-week seminar in Spain and Morocco offered by the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), where she will explore the links between Morocco and Spain on a variety of levels: their cultural and historic heritage, the differences between the “developing” and “developed” world, and the global impacts of terrorism and increasing animosity between historically Muslim and Christian societies.

Growing Early Sprouts

May 18, 2012Uncategorizedfaculty, Student Standouts

The students Dr. Ferrucci’s Math 475 – Issues and Trends in Mathematics Education class who wrote the Early Sprouts mathematical activities (standing, left to right): Nicole Conner, Megan DeVita, Alicia Kenney, Stephanie Doiron, Sara Cummings, Marisa Micozzi, Kathryn Granquist, Lindsay Tiddes, Katie Hutchinson, Sarah Ebbighausen, Elisabeth Herber. Seated: Dr. Ferrucci. All these students are part of the BA in Mathematics Education for Elementary Teachers’ Degree Program.

Early Sprouts, KSC’s award-winning effort to instill healthy nutrition and eating habits in preschool age children, recently expanded its initiative to reach children in kindergarten through 6th grade participating in afterschool programs. Dr. Karrie Kalich and Dr. Marjorie Droppa, associate professors of health science, have been working on the after school component for over a year. In the afterschool setting, Early Sprouts continues to focus on nutrition by engaging children in gardening, exploring, and cooking fresh produce. However, a new addition incorporates activities that also foster math, science, and art skills.

Dr. Beverly Ferrucci and her 4th year math students graciously partnered with the Early Sprouts team to create fun and engaging math activities that utilized the Early Sprouts vegetables. For example, children explore the connection between the size of a squash and the number of seeds it contains, determine the volume of a bell pepper by measuring how much water it holds, and calculate the perimeter of a room using green beans.

Profs Mullens and Cuper Publish Resource for Effective Field Courses

May 18, 2012Uncategorizedfaculty

KSC Geography Professor Jo Beth Mullens and Associate Professor of Education Prudence Cuper have recently published Fostering Global Citizenship Through Faculty-Led International Programs (Information Age Publishing). As colleges and universities commit goals and resources to the concept of globalization and internationalization, they often look for ways to embed the concept of global citizenship in undergraduate curricula. Fostering Global Citizenship offers offers theoretical, practical, and motivational resources for the development, execution, and assessment of effective, faculty-led international field courses.

Former KSC Basketball Star and Assistant Coach takes Top Spot at Duquesne

May 18, 2012UncategorizedAlumni achievers, sports

Alum and former KSC assistant basketball coach Jim Ferry was named head coach at Duquesne University last month. After graduating in 1990, Ferry stuck around to serve as assistant coach from 1990–91. He then moved on as an assistant coach at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., for seven seasons before stepping into the head coaching position at Plymouth State. From there, he spent 10 years as head coach at Long Island University Brooklyn prior to moving into the top spot at Duquesne. Read more about him on the Pittsburg Post-Gazette’s site.