SBU Student Receives LEAP’s Student of the Month Award

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University student Pearl Karamitros is the Lead and Enhance the Accounting Profession (LEAP) student of the month for March.

Accounting department chair, Wayne Clark, CPA, states “Pearl is an appropriate LEAP Student of the Month for many reasons. Her extremely strong academic record, varied school involvement, and real-life accounting experiences have prepared her very well for an outstanding accounting career. Pearl enjoys thinking problems through thoroughly; she doesn’t just try to get by with a quick response or answer.” 

Pearl Karamitros 

Karamitros already has two successful internships behind her: one at Bolivar R-1 School District, Bolivar, Missouri, in the accounting department and the other at J&R Tax Service, Atlantic, Iowa. This summer Pearl has secured an internship with The Heritage Foundation, which is a research and educational institution.

The senior accounting major is involved in Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), Member & Project 3:10 Co-Leader; Institute of Management Accountants (IMA); Omnibus - SBU Campus Newspaper, Business Manager; Alpha Chi National Honors Society; Missouri Society of CPAs (MSCPA), member and LEAP Scholarship recipient 2011-2012.

Karamitros has lived much of her life in China, and she speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently. She hopes to use her language diversity to acquire a great accounting opportunity at a CPA firm or company with a strong international presence.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Residence Life Hosts Creative Art Display

SBU Residence Life Hosts Creative Art Display

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University Residence Life will be hosting an art display in the Goodson Student Union now through Sunday, April 29 encouraging students to value creativity and be creative in all areas of their lives; such as their relationships, academics, spending their money, etc.

“Our hope is that we would all reconsider what it means to create and be created beings by using the resources that were given to us by God,” says Director of Residence Life Landee Nevills.

The art display was developed by SBU alumnus Brett Stump. There will be a reception on Thursday, April 26, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Union for people who want to meet and ask questions about the display.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Student Receives Elliot Robinson & Company, LLC Public Accounting Scholarship

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Sophomore, accounting major, Morgan Wohnoutka has been honored with the Elliot Robinson & Company LLC Public Accounting Scholarship. She is a 2011 graduate of Bolivar High School, and will be graduating from SBU in May 2014 with the necessary 150 hours of college credit to be eligible to take the CPA (certified public accountant) exam.

Morgan Wohnoutka

Elliott, Robinson & Company, LLP is an accounting firm based in Springfield, Mo. that was established in 1973 by Gordon Elliott. This year they have partnered with the Accounting Department of Southwest Baptist University to create the Elliott, Robinson & Company Public Accounting Scholarship. The purpose of this scholarship is to financially assist a high-achieving SBU accounting major in their academic preparation for a career in public accounting as a CPA. 

Robert Helm, CPA and Managing Partner of Elliott, Robinson & Company indicated, “We are excited to expand our relationship with the SBU Accounting Department. In recent years we have benefitted from having SBU students serve as interns and staff accountants in our office, and we hope this financial assistance can further contribute to that possibility in the future.”

According to Wayne Clark, CPA and Chair of the SBU Accounting Department, “Morgan is just the type of accounting major that we need at SBU in order to be able to continue to supply CPA firms like Elliott, Robinson with top-quality staff accountants. Morgan’s technical and communications skills fit well with the personalized financial services that Elliott, Robinson provides to businesses and individuals throughout Southwest Missouri.”

Clark also noted the SBU Accounting Department’s appreciation for this scholarship; “We are thankful for Elliott, Robinson’s continued confidence in our SBU Accounting program.  This is very exciting for our faculty and students.” 

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Student Presents Work at Mathematics Conference

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University student Aaron Davis presented April 13 at the 29^th Annual Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Conference on Undergraduate Mathematics. The conference goal was “to spotlight and celebrate the accomplishments and work of undergraduate mathematicians.” 

Davis’ talk was titled “Statistical Analysis of Prime Factors.” The abstract read: 

“This presentation will report the results of an investigation of the prime factors of the positive integers 2 through n as n gets large. Tools used in the investigation include means, variances, and standard deviations. Computer programs were used to investigate these measurements to see if they yield any discernible pattern(s) including if there is a limit associated with means, variances, or standard deviations as n gets large. This is mainly a computational approach rather than a theoretical approach.”

Dr. Stephen Bowling has been the faculty advisor with Davis’ work. Davis will be presenting an updated version of this talk on Thursday, May 3, 5-6:00 p.m.in the Wheeler Science Building, room 126. The public is invited to attend.

Additional information on the conference is available at:

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/class/ma/web/mathconf/ .

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Faculty Chamber Recital on May 6

SBU Chamber Recital on May 6

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – On Sunday, May 6, at 3:00 p.m. in the Meyer Recital Hall, faculty from Southwest Baptist University’s Department of Music will be presenting a chamber recital.

The program will include Mendelssohn’s D Minor Piano Trio, Martinů’s Promenades for Flute, Violin and Piano, and Milhaud’s Scaramouche for Two Pianos. The performers will include violinist Carol Harrison, cellist Jan Hagglund, pianist Robert Carney, flautist Michelle Draper, pianist Melinda Jones, and pianist James Tarrant.

This event is free and open to the public.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

This Week: SBU Theatre to Perform Award-Winning Play, “The Women of Lockerbie;” Playwright to Attend

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – On April 26-28 at 7:00 p.m., SBU Theatre will perform a play that tackles the question: How do we respond in the face of terror?  Deborah Brevoort’s powerful play, “The Women of Lockerbie,” explores the response to the bombing of PanAm Flight 103 above Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.

photo by Morgan Gallatin

Based on actual events, “The Women of Lockerbie” tells the story of a grieving American couple who return to Lockerbie seven years after their son died on the plane. The couple encounters a group of Scottish women who are engaged in a laundry project aimed to bring healing to the families of those who died in the terrorist act. 

“We are thrilled that Ms. Brevoort will be in attendance for our production,” said Dr. Elissa Sartwell, Associate Professor of Theatre at the university. The playwright, Deborah Brevoort, will lead post-show discussions on Friday and Saturday. Brevoort’s visit is co-sponsored by the SBU Theatre program and the Barnett-Padgett Literary Artists Series. 


Dr. Sartwell believes that this play has a message for everyone.  “Many of our students today have never heard of PanAm, let alone Locerkbie, Scotland. Yet the play still speaks to them because it engages broader issues of grief, hate, revenge, and forgiveness.”

Scenic designer, and instructor in theatre, Jonathan Wehmeyer has built a set that pays homage to a classical Greek theatre. “The play is structured as a Greek tragedy,” Wehmeyer notes, “and we wanted to allow that structure to be visually present throughout the performance,” he adds.

The student performers are looking forward to the production.  “How many times do you get to perform a show for the person who wrote it? It’s humbling,” said sophomore Lindsay Gingrich. Junior Jeff Young, who portrays a grieving American father, agrees that this is a fantastic opportunity. “So many times, you have lingering questions about a script.  And here, we’re going to have the chance to ask the playwright those questions.”

Senior David Ezzell has served as the productions theatre chaplain, leading the cast and crew on a study of grief and forgiveness. The students have welcomed this experience to fuse their faith and their art. “I didn’t know how much of a tool this show would be in my own grieving process,” say Young, whose grandfather passed away just before rehearsals began for the show.

“There’s a process of healing that we go through during each rehearsal,” says Gingrich, who portrays one of the Scottish women. “The Women of Lockerbie” is directed by Dr. Sartwell. Scene Design is by Jonathan Wehmeyer. Senior, Jonathan Riggert serves as the lighting designer, and junior, Hannah Joyce has supplied sound design for the production. Freshman Heidi Dehn stage manages a cast of nine student performers. The cast features senior Amy Marrs as Madeline; junior Jeff Young as Bill; junior Shannon Gray as Olive; junior Josh Brown as George; junior Rachel Joyce as Hattie; and juniors Samantha Phinney, Lauren Schriver, Samantha Thomas and sophomore Lindsay Gingrich as “the women” of Lockerbie.

Ticket prices are as follows:  $5 for adults; $3 for SBU alumni, senior citizens, and students of other schools; $2 for SBU students; and complimentary for SBU faculty and staff.  For more information, call 417-328-1691 or visit www.sbuniv.edu/theatre.

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PHOTO opportunities for Media:

April 23 at 7:00p.m. photo call for production shots (Davis-Newport Theatre).

April 27th between 3-5 p.m. to get pictures of the playwright teaching a group of students (Jester Conference Room).

April 27and/or April 28 immediately following the performance (about 8:30 p.m.) to get pictures of the playwright leading a post-show discussion.

Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Music Department Presents “Masterworks Concert”

SBU Music Department Presents “Masterworks Concert”

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Music Department of Southwest Baptist University will present its Masterworks Concert on Friday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Pike Auditorium. The department’s massed choirs and orchestra will present “Come Let Us Sing”, op. 46, by Felix Mendelssohn and “Naenie,” op. 82 by Johannes Brahms. There is no admission charge.

Dr. James Tarrant, professor of music and director of choral studies, will conduct. Soloists are Dr. J. Andrew Campbell, tenor, and Dr. Kathy Brown, soprano, of the SBU music faculty, and Dr. Paula Patterson, mezzo-soprano and assistant professor of music at Missouri State University.

In its fourth decade, the Masterworks presentation annually provides southwest Missouri audiences the opportunity to experience musical works that are best presented by the combined efforts of department, university, and community. The repertoire has included the great classics, the unfamiliar pearls, and modern compositions of significance.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU SIFE Team Wins for 28th Time at USA Regional Competition

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Southwest Baptist University Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team was recently named a Regional Champion for the 28^th year out of the past 29.

They achieved this distinction at the SIFE USA Regional Competition, which was held on April 16, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois. The event is one of 11 SIFE USA Regional Competitions held across the United States in March and April.

As a SIFE USA Regional Champion, the SBU SIFE team now advances to the 2012 SIFE USA National Exposition in Kansas City, Missouri, May 22-24.

During this academic year, the SBU SIFE team organized seven projects in and around the Bolivar community. The culmination of the SIFE program is an annual series of competitions that provide a forum for teams to present the results of their projects, and to be evaluated by business leaders serving as judges. Teams compete first at the regional and national levels, then at the international level when the national champion teams from each country meet at the SIFE World Cup.

SBU SIFE is one of 600 programs in the United States. Participating students use business concepts to develop community outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need.

For more information, contact SIFE USA at 417-831-9505, SBU SIFE at 417-328-1754 or visit www.sifeusa.org.

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SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise)

SIFE is an international non-profit organization that brings together the top leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business. Founded in 1975, SIFE has active programs on more than 1,500 college and university campuses in 39 countries. Through projects that improve the lives of people worldwide, the university students, academic professionals and industry leaders who participate in SIFE are demonstrating that individuals with a knowledge and passion for business can be a powerful force for change.

Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

Jenean Rosenau Receives SBU Libraries Award

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Southwest Baptist University Libraries announced that Jenean Rosenau from Springfield, Mo., was honored as the Outstanding Student Assistant of the Month for March 2012.

The University Libraries’ faculty and staff established the monthly award to recognize outstanding employment characteristics such as dependability, quality of work, motivation, attitude, and cooperation.  Rosenau, a student assistant in the Tech Services department, received an award letter from Edward W. Walton, Dean of the University Libraries, a certificate of recognition, and a gift.

The University Libraries employ 27 part-time student assistants through the University’s work-study program. Rosenau is an elementary education and childhood development major in SBU’s College of Education and Social Sciences.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU to Benefit from George H. Riedel Private Foundation Grant

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University will benefit from a recent grant of $25,000 to the Missouri Colleges Fund (MCF) from the George H. Riedel Private Foundation, which will underwrite need-based scholarships at each of the 16 MCF member schools including SBU.

MCF member schools are independent baccalaureate degree-granting liberal arts and comprehensive colleges and universities in the state of Missouri. Their income is derived primarily from private sources.

The MCF was incorporated in 1952 as a partnership of private enterprise and the member independent colleges and universities in the Show-Me State. The Fund is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt corporation; therefore, all contributions to the Fund are tax-deductible up to the limits prescribed by the law.

More information about MCF can be found online at www.mocollegesfund.org.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU CIS Selected by Google to Receive Grant for Summer Workshop

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) recently announced their selection by Google to receive a grant to underwrite a summer 2012 workshop for K-12 teachers. The grant was approved under Google’s CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) program. The focus of the two-day workshop is to help the teachers begin to incorporate computational thinking into classroom activities. 

Teachers attending the workshop will have two tracks from which to choose. One track will focus on the general application of computational thinking to all academic disciplines. To that end, teachers of any academic area in middle or high school are invited to attend. The second track will be designed for teachers of APCS (Advanced Placement Computer Science) and will address issues specifically related to APCS. 

CS4HS is an initiative sponsored by Google to promote computer science and computational thinking in high school and middle school curriculum. The workshops developed under the grant incorporate informational talks by industry leaders, and discussions on new and emerging computer science curricula at the high school and middle school level. Approximately 70 universities world-wide were awarded grants by Google and held workshops in 2011.

According to Helene Martin, a high school computer science and CS4HS teacher for Carnegie Mellon University, “if we reach the teachers, then we have this wider-reaching effect. Because as teachers, we ultimately have a lot of impact on what our students do. If we can teach a class that's engaging and brings in elements that students are intrigued about, they're likely to study it in college. If we can get this group of people excited about computer science themselves, we figure that they can go on and do a little more research, bring in guest speakers, integrate it into their own curriculum, and that's how we get the next generation of computer scientists.”

SBU’s grant proposal pointed out the following:

Missouri does not certify computer science as a teaching area; therefore the vast majority of Missouri K12 students never receive even an introduction to computer science. 

There is currently no functioning CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) chapter in Missouri and there is only a small community of Missouri teachers who participate in the APCS program, especially in Southwest Missouri.

According to AP Central, there are no professional development opportunities for teachers of APCS in the entire state of Missouri between March 3 of 2012 and March 3 of 2013.

There are no other universities in Southwest Missouri reaching out via Google’s programs to support teaching of K12 computer science.

SBU’s workshop will be held July 13-14 in the Gene Taylor Free Enterprise Center on Southwest Baptist University’s Bolivar Campus. The event will be free and teachers will be provided a stipend to attend.  Teachers may receive one hour of graduate credit for completion of the instructional workshop. 

Registration details for the workshop will appear on SBU’s website in the near future.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Presents Wind Symphony Concert April 24

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University’s Music Department presents the Wind Symphony in concert on Tuesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Works by Williams, Holst, Persichetti, and Grainger are featured by the 55-member ensemble. The SBU Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Marc Baker, will also be featured. The free public performance will be held at Pike Auditorium on the SBU campus.

“The music from this concert is from the standard repertoire of the wind band,” said Dr. Brian Hopwood, conductor and director of instrumental studies. “It is interesting to note that these works were not composed by ‘band composers’ but world-class composers who wrote for a variety of genre,” adds Dr. Hopwood.

The concert will open with Clifton Williams’ “The Sinfonians,” written on commission from the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, and first performed at their annual convention in Cincinnati, Ohio in July 1960. Gustav Holst’s original manuscript of his “First Suite in Eb;” universally considered a cornerstone of the wind band repertoire was written for 22 players and will be performed as Holst intended.

“Divertimento” is one of Vincent Persichetti’s lightest and most entertaining works. It was his first work for band and was written in a log cabin schoolhouse in Kansas in 1949 and premiered by the Goldman Band in Central Park, New York City, the composer conducting, on June 16, 1950. Closing out the concert is Percy Grainger’s “Molly on the Shore,” considered to be his first compositional hit and arranged by the composer for string quartet, string orchestra, full orchestra, and wind band.

For more information, please call Dr. Brian K. Hopwood in the Music Department at 417-328-1647 or email him at: bhopwood@sbuniv.edu.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Chorale Presents its Final Concert of the Season

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Chorale of Southwest Baptist University will present its final concert of the season on Tuesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Pike Auditorium. The performance is free and open to the public.

Under the direction of professor of music and director of choral studies, Dr. James R. Tarrant, the selectively auditioned choir will present Morten Lauridsen’s choral song cycle, “Les Chansons des Roses” as well as works by other American composers.

In the past decade, the Chorale has performed at the Missouri Music Educators Association state convention, the Missouri Baptist Convention gatherings and numerous churches and high schools across the state. Since 2005, the Chorale has also performed in cathedrals and other historic venues in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany including a rare performance in the “Singers Room” in the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Theatre to Perform Award-Winning Play, “The Women of Lockerbie;” Playwright to Attend

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – On April 26-28 at 7:00 p.m., SBU Theatre will perform a play that tackles the question: How do we respond in the face of terror?  Deborah Brevoort’s powerful play, “The Women of Lockerbie,” explores the response to the bombing of PanAm Flight 103 above Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.

Based on actual events, “The Women of Lockerbie” tells the story of a grieving American couple who return to Lockerbie seven years after their son died on the plane. The couple encounters a group of Scottish women who are engaged in a laundry project aimed to bring healing to the families of those who died in the terrorist act. 

“We are thrilled that Ms. Brevoort will be in attendance for our production,” said Dr. Elissa Sartwell, Associate Professor of Theatre at the university. The playwright, Deborah Brevoort, will lead post-show discussions on Friday and Saturday. Brevoort’s visit is co-sponsored by the SBU Theatre program and the Barnett-Padgett Literary Artists Series. Dr. Sartwell believes that this play has a message for everyone.  “Many of our students today have never heard of PanAm, let alone Locerkbie, Scotland. Yet the play still speaks to them because it engages broader issues of grief, hate, revenge, and forgiveness.”

 

Scenic designer, and instructor in theatre, Jonathan Wehmeyer has built a set that pays homage to a classical Greek theatre. “The play is structured as a Greek tragedy,” Wehmeyer notes, “and we wanted to allow that structure to be visually present throughout the performance,” he adds.

The student performers are looking forward to the production.  “How many times do you get to perform a show for the person who wrote it? It’s humbling,” said sophomore Lindsay Gingrich. Junior Jeff Young, who portrays a grieving American father, agrees that this is a fantastic opportunity. “So many times, you have lingering questions about a script.  And here, we’re going to have the chance to ask the playwright those questions.”

Senior David Ezzell has served as the productions theatre chaplain, leading the cast and crew on a study of grief and forgiveness. The students have welcomed this experience to fuse their faith and their art. “I didn’t know how much of a tool this show would be in my own grieving process,” say Young, whose grandfather passed away just before rehearsals began for the show.

“There’s a process of healing that we go through during each rehearsal,” says Gingrich, who portrays one of the Scottish women. “The Women of Lockerbie” is directed by Dr. Sartwell. Scene Design is by Jonathan Wehmeyer. Senior, Jonathan Riggert serves as the lighting designer, and junior, Hannah Joyce has supplied sound design for the production. Freshman Heidi Dehn stage manages a cast of nine student performers. The cast features senior Amy Marrs as Madeline; junior Jeff Young as Bill; junior Shannon Gray as Olive; junior Josh Brown as George; junior Rachel Joyce as Hattie; and juniors Samantha Phinney, Lauren Schriver, Samantha Thomas and sophomore Lindsay Gingrich as “the women” of Lockerbie.

Ticket prices are as follows:  $5 for adults; $3 for SBU alumni, senior citizens, and students of other schools; $2 for SBU students; and complimentary for SBU faculty and staff.  For more information, call 328-1691 or visit www.sbuniv.edu/theatre.

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PHOTO opportunities for Media:

April 23 at 7:00p.m. photo call for production shots (Davis-Newport Theatre).

April 27th between 3-5 p.m. to get pictures of the playwright teaching a group of students (Jester Conference Room).

April 27and/or April 28 immediately following the performance (about 8:30 p.m.) to get pictures of the playwright leading a post-show discussion.

Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU to Present “The Casebolt Project”

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University’s Casebolt College of Music, Arts, and Letters will present “The Casebolt Project,” on Tuesday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m., in Meyer Recital Hall.

This is a joint venture of the departments of art, communication arts, language and literature, and music. The event will feature original art works, poetry readings, short theatrical and speaking performances, and musical performances by SBU students and faculty members.

Each year, the college adopts a theme for "The Casebolt Project" and presents this multi-disciplinary program in the spring. This year's theme is "Forgiveness and Healing." The program is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Department of Music (417) 328-1644.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Well-Represented by Speaking Bearcats in National-Caliber Competition

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. –Southwest Baptist University speech and debate team, along with 68 other teams from 29 states, competed at the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament in Overland Park, Kan., March 16-18. This year’s national tournament was one of the largest tournaments in the organization’s history.

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Assistant Professor of Communication Arts and Director of Forensics Dr. David Bailey said the young Speaking Bearcats represented themselves very well in the national-caliber competition. The team placed eighth in overall sweepstakes and eighth in individual event sweepstakes.

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“It was certainly an impressive showing” said Dr. Bailey. “Our program has a particularly impressive legacy of excellence at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament. At this year’s nationals we fielded probably the youngest squad we ever have, and they managed to do quite well for themselves. I am very proud of them,” he said of the team’s overall performance.

Dr. Bailey said the Speaking Bearcats had much to be proud of in terms of the individual performances that contributed to the strong team finish.

In junior parliamentary debate freshmen Shawna Barkley and Nik Fischer placed third. Fischer’s points earned a second place finish in overall speaker awards in junior parliamentary.

In novice public debate freshman Kaila Todd was an octofinalist (the top sixteen). Her impressive results earned her a second place finish in debate speaker awards.

Also in novice public debate freshman Catherine Lathrop (in just her fifth tournament as a Speaking Bearcat) contributed to the team’s success with several quality debate wins.

Aside from their many wins across various formats of debate, the team members racked up a number of very impressive results in individual speech events.

Sophomore Matt Adams received an “Excellent” award (top 30%) in impromptu speaking.

Freshman Jenna King was a quarterfinalist (the top 24 in the nation) in after dinner speaking.

Freshman Meg Burns turned in another impressive performance. She was a quarterfinalist in program of oral interpretation, a recipient of an “Excellent” award in dramatic interpretation, a finalist and sixth place finisher in forensics criticism, and earned third place in prose interpretation.

Shawna Barkley walked away with an “Excellent” award in impromptu speaking, and was a quarterfinalist in persuasion. Barkley’s strong results in these and other event categories contributed to her tenth place finish in pentathlon (top individual event speaker) standings.

Nik Fischer led the Speaking Bearcats with a slew of very impressive results. In fact he received a major award in each of his speech events—a truly outstanding accomplishment for a freshman speaker. Fischer earned “Excellent” awards in both impromptu and extemporaneous speaking. He was a quarterfinalist in informative speaking, a semifinalist (top twelve in the nation) in informative speaking, a finalist and fifth place speaker in communication analysis, and was also a finalist and fourth place speaker in after dinner speaking.

This tournament was the team’s final outing for the 2011-2012 season. Reflecting back upon the year that was had by the young team, Dr. Bailey offered a few final thoughts about the season, “Above all, this year was characterized by growth and change. At the start of the season we were not a team—we were simply a collection of talented, yet raw, freshmen recruits. Over the course of this season it has been a joy for me to see this group come together to work, practice, and win as a team. I am very proud of them for what they have done this year and I look forward to the wonderful things this team will accomplish in the years to come” he said. 

Shawna Barkley will travel to the Interstate Oratorical competition at Emerson University in Boston, Massachusetts, April 26-28. Dr. Bailey said “The Speaking Bearcats will take the summer off but will look forward to perpetuating the program’s more-than-forty year tradition of excellence.” 

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PHOTO: The Speaking Bearcats relax at the end of the tournament. Second row left to right: Nik Fischer, Kaila Todd, Meg Burns, Jenna King, Catherine Lathrop. First row left to right: Assistant Director of Forensics Ms. Rebecca Koe, Director of Forensics Dr. David Bailey, Matt Adams, and Shawna Barkley.

Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU Welcomes New Controller

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. – With the retirement of Rick Juhlin at the end of March, Southwest Baptist University announced the hiring of a new controller. Tara Parson joined the SBU family on March 7, 2012, and has had the opportunity to work with Juhlin during this past month. 

Parson is a former employee of Great Southern Bank. She is a CPA and served with BKD, SBU’s auditors, for more than six years. “We are thankful to have Tara become part of the accounting team and are looking forward to her service to SBU for many years to come,” said Vice President for Administration Ron Maupin.

Parson is a graduate of SBU’s College of Business and Computer Science in accounting. 

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats

SBU CIS Team Wins Competitive Programming Competition

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications

417-328-1803 / ssmith@sbuniv.edu

BOLIVAR, Mo. SBU competitive programming team clinched top honors at the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Central Plains (CCSC-CP) Regional Programming Contest. The competition was held at Ozarks Technical College in Springfield, Mo. SBU’s winning team consisting of Weston Herrington (SR, Carthage, Mo.), Luke Abbott (JR, Roach, Mo.), and Jacob Foster (JR, Webb City, Mo.) became the only team in the competition to solve four problems from the problem set two hours into the three-hour competition. Teams from the University of Central Missouri finished second and the University of Missouri-Kansas City claimed third place at the event.

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“The field of teams was particularly large this year,” noted Dr. Tim DeClue, professor and chair of the SBU Computer Information Science (CIS) Department. “The competition drew in 28 teams from Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Oklahoma. I told all of our students how proud I was of the way they competed.  They used their God-given talent in a God-honoring way. These competitions say a lot about how hard our students work, and about the kind of program we have at SBU,” Dr. DeClue adds.

SBU’s second team consisting of Jacob Jakusz (SO, Theodosia, Mo.), David Haugh (SO, Covington, La.) and Justin Stout (FR, Gardner, Kan.) finished three problems and placed fourth in the competition.  SBU’s third team consisting of Maaura Stucky (SR, Kansas City, Mo.), Nathan Hawkins (SO, Odessa, Mo.), and Tanner Barnes (FR, Greenville, Texas) also finished three problems and placed eighth.  Results for the top 20 teams are shown below.

SBU’s CIS department houses three degree programs (computer science, information science, web systems and design), four full-time faculty, two faculty associates and close to 80 students majoring in the computer or information sciences. Among evangelically Christian institutions, SBU is one of the leading producers of software engineers in the United States

Place	Team (Top 20 of 28 Shown)	Problems Solved
1st	SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY–A (Bolivar, MO)	4
2nd	University of Central Missouri–A (Warrensburg, MO)	3
3rd	University of Missouri-Kansas City–A (Kansas City, MO)	3
4th	SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY–B (Bolivar, MO)	3
5th	College of the Ozarks-A (Point Lookout, MO)	3
6th	Northeastern State University-A (Broken Arrow, OK)	3
7th	University of Central Missouri-B (Warrensburg, MO)	3
8th	SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY-C (Bolivar, MO)	3
9th	McKendree University-A (Lebanon, IL)	3
10th	College of the Ozarks-B (Point Lookout, MO)	3
11th	McKendree University-B (Lebanon, IL)	2
12th	Drury University-A (Springfield, MO)	2
13th	Park University-A (Park, MO)	2
14th	Northwest Missouri State University-A (Maryville, MO)	2
15th	Drury University-B (Springfield, MO)	2
16th	College of the Ozarks-C (Point Lookout, MO)	2
17th	Drury University-C (Springfield, MO)	2
18th	University of Missouri-Kansas City–B (Kansas City, MO)	2
19th	Graceland University-A (Lamoni, IA)	2
20th	Northwest Missouri State University-B (Maryville, MO)	2

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PHOTO:

Front: Maaura Stuckey, Nathan Hawkins, Jacob Foster

Back: Dr. Jim Cain (Coach), Jason Jakusz, David Haugh, Tanner Barnes, Luke Abbott, Weston Herrington, Justin Stout

Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats