Leaders Honored

Civic leaders were honored for public service at Opening Convocation ceremonies marking the beginning of the 2006-07 academic year in September. Addressing students and guests at Opening Convocation ceremonies was Thomas Hoenig, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. This year’s recipients of the William F. Yates Trustee Medallion for Distinguished Service were Ann Dickinson, Gary Dickinson (posthumously) and Terrence P. Dunn. In addition, John F. White, a member of the William Jewell class of 1967, received an honorary degree.

Ann Dickinson grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Missouri in 1966 with a degree in English and Education. She lived in Chillicothe, Missouri, for 30 years with her husband, Gary, and their four children. Since the death of her husband in an automobile accident in 1997, she has been the Chairman and owner of Dickinson Financial Corporation (DFC), the company that her husband founded and built. Her primary passion is the redevelopment of downtown Kansas City and working on the Arena and Performing Arts Center projects.

Gary Dickinson was a native north Missourian who grew up on a family farm in Chariton County near Keytesville. Mr. Dickinson founded Bank Midwest in 1970, and presided over its growth as chairman until he was killed in a car accident in February 1997. His widow, Ann, chose to continue his legacy as a dynamic business leader by creating an endowed business lectureship in his name at William Jewell College.

Terrence P. Dunn is President and Chief Executive Officer of J.E. Dunn Construction Group, Inc. He joined J.E. Dunn in 1974 as contracts officer and was made Vice President and Treasurer in 1978. He was promoted to Senior Vice President in 1979, Executive Vice President in 1980, President in 1986, and Chief Executive Officer from 1989 to 2005. He is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of J.E. Dunn Construction Group, Inc., the holding company for J.E. Dunn Construction Company and other affiliates across the nation.

As President of Kairos Partners, a private investment firm which he founded in 1998, John White leads a company that invests in critical health care technology. Throughout a remarkable career as a businessman and entrepreneur, he has been associated with companies on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. Following a seven-year period in marketing management at 3M, he joined the Haemonetics Corporation, a worldwide blood processing systems company. Mr. White rose through the ranks at Haemonetics, serving as senior vice president, president, CEO and chairman of the board. White’s leadership to the college extends to ongoing service on the Board of Trustees, including a six-year term as chair. He has previously been recognized with the college’s Citation for Achievement and the William F. Yates Medallion.

SIFE-Girl Scout Partnership

The William Jewell College Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team recently partnered with Girl Scouts of Mid-Continent Council to sponsor a special one-day seminar focusing on “Technology Powered by Women.” The event was designed for young women ages 12 to 18.

“Over the last several years there has been a national decline in women entering the computer science field,” said Angela Klein, assistant professor of information and computer science at William Jewell. “Currently, women make up only 28 percent of the technology workforce. This staggering statistic inspired both the Jewell SIFE team and the Girl Scouts of Mid-Continent Council to develop an event aimed at providing young women with a positive exposure to the field of computer science.”

“Technology Powered by Women” provided an opportunity for hands-on experience, group discussion and networking. Guest speaker Ira Pramanick, Senior Staff Engineer from Sun Microsystems, kicked off the day with a keynote presentation, which was followed by lunch and a series of four workshops conducted by women professors and professionals from the Kansas City area. Participants could choose breakout sessions on such topics as ALICE programming, Lego Mindstorm and web design, as well as a panel discussion about career opportunities in information technology. 

In addition to William Jewell College and the Girl Scouts of Mid-Continent Council, participating organizations included Sun Microsystems, WSI Internet Solutions Provider, Server Centric Consulting, Hit Resultz and the Kansas City Regional Computer Forensics Lab. Funding for the workshop was provided by the National Science Foundation through the Midwest Rural-Urban Girls’ Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) project (http://mru.missouristate.edu/home/).

Trustee Update
The Board of Trustees has elected two new members:

Janice C. (Jan) Kreamer, former president and chief executive officer of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, retired recently after nearly two decades leading the organization. The Foundation manages more than 1,600 personal, corporate and agency endowment funds that support a wide array of social, educational, artistic and health-related projects in Kansas City. The Foundation is perennially ranked among the top 10 in assets, gifts received and grants made among more than 650 community foundations nationwide. Under Kreamer’s leadership, the Foundation became one of the fastest growing community foundations in the country. The Foundation, under her leadership, assisted with Ewing Kauffman’s donation of the Kansas City Royals major league baseball team, as well as management of the sale of the team to current owner David Glass. The $130 million in proceeds were reinvested in area charitable projects. Kreamer attended the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, where she received bachelor’s degrees in history and economics.

Carol Marinovich, former mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kan., was also approved for membership on William Jewell’s governing body. Marinovich is the former mayor of Kansas City, Kan., and former chief executive officer of the Wyandotte County Unified Government. Marinovich earned her master’s degree from the University of Kansas School of Education in 1981. After teaching in the classroom for nine years, Marinovich became a coordinator of special education for the Kansas City, Kan., school district. During that time, she began her political career, becoming the first female elected to the City Council. Marinovich was not only later elected as the first female mayor but also the first Mayor/CEO of the newly formed Unified Government. Among her many accomplishments as mayor/CEO, Marinovich was instrumental in the development of the Kansas Speedway and the Village West retail district. In 2005, she was named Vice President of Public Affairs for the Fleishman-Hillard public relations firm in Kansas City.

Faculty members approved for tenure by the Board of Trustees were Dr. Nancy Crigger, associate professor of nursing; Ms. Leesa McBroom, assistant professor of nursing; Dr. Ann Marie Rigler, associate professor of music and college organist; Deborah Scarfino, assistant professor of business administration; and Dr. Kelli J. Schutte, assistant professor of business administration. The board also approved promotions in rank for six faculty members: Dr. Ian Coleman, from associate professor of music and chair to professor of music and chair; Dr. Alan Holiman, from associate professor of political science to professor of political science; Dr. Elizabeth Sperry, from associate professor of philosophy to professor of philosophy; Dr. Kathleen Tacelosky, from associate professor of Spanish to professor of Spanish; Dr. Lori Wetmore, from assistant professor of chemistry to associate professor of chemistry; and Dr. Jane Woodruff, from associate professor of history and languages to professor of history and languages.

Martha Comment, a member of the William Jewell College Board of Trustees, has been named “KC’s Woman of the Year” by Kansas City Magazine. The cover story in the magazine’s January 2007 issue cited her service to children and families, as well as her involvement with William Jewell, the Symphony League and the Women’s Employment Network. Comment joined the college’s Board of Trustees in 2005.

Diversity Committee Brings Anti-Hate Message

Judy Shepard, opponent of violence against homosexuals and mother of the late Matthew Shepard, offered a public lecture recently in John Gano Memorial Chapel. In 1998, Judy Shepard lost her son, Matthew, to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate. Determined to prevent Matthew’s fate from befalling others, she turned her tragedy into a crusade for justice by establishing The Matthew Shepard Foundation to help carry on her son’s legacy. Shepard has testified before the United States Senate in support of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. She is actively involved with Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). In this capacity, she has written an open letter to schools across the country urging officials to make schools safer for gay students by promoting inclusion. Speaking from a mother’s perspective, Shepard has made the prevention of hate crimes the focus of her efforts, and urges her audiences to make their schools and communities safer for everyone, regardless of their race, sex, religion, gender expression or gender identity.

Pandemic Expert at Jewell

Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, presented the 2007 Cope Lecture on Science, Technology and the Human Experience last month in John Gano Memorial Chapel. Dr. Osterholm is one of the world’s leading experts on public preparedness for pandemics and bioterrorist attacks. As the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), he is a key figure in helping governments and other organizations to develop plans to address these dual threats.

Dr. Osterholm provided a comprehensive and pointed review of America’s current state of preparedness for a bioterrorism attack in his New York Times best-selling book, Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe. In addition to his role with CIDRAP, he is also associate director of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and professor in the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota. In June 2005 Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity. From 2001 through early 2005, Dr. Osterholm served as a Special Advisor to then-HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on issues related to bioterrorism and public health preparedness.

Armstrong Presents Willard Lecture

Dr. Gary Armstrong, professor of political science at William Jewell College, recently presented the 2007 Carl F. Willard Distinguished Teacher Lecture. Dr. Armstrong’s presentation was entitled “How Should Wars End? Dollar Auctions, War Ethics and Getting Out of Iraq.” Dr. Armstrong offered his views on what moral obligations the United States does and does not have to the Iraqi government and people as the country tries to end its involvement in Iraq.

Dr. Armstrong received his B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and his Ph.D. from Georgetown University. He joined the William Jewell College faculty in 1992. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Political Science and Director of the International Relations major. His Ph.D. dissertation dealt with war termination and the American debate over how to end World War I.

The Willard Lecture is named for the late Carl Willard, a trustee at William Jewell from 1967 to 1991. To honor Willard’s memory and perpetuate his ideals, friends established the Carl F. Willard Distinguished Teacher Award at William Jewell as a continuing investment in tomorrow’s leaders.

Faith and Higher Education Explored

“Faith, Culture and Higher Education” was the focus of the annual Binns Lecture on the Sacred and Secular, and Power and Justice in Society. Special guest speaker for the event was Brian D. McLaren, author, emergent networker and Christian activist. McLaren is a pastor, author, speaker and networker among innovative Christian leaders, thinkers and activists. He is a frequent guest on television, radio and news media programs. He has appeared on many broadcasts, including “Larry King Live,” “Religion and Ethics Newsweekly” and “Nightline.” His work has also been covered in Time (where he was listed as one of America’s 25 most influential evangelicals), Christianity Today, Christian Century and many other print media.

Journalist at Jewell

“Looking for the Good Life: The Pursuit of Happiness in a Pluralistic Democracy” was the topic of a recent William Jewell address by Farai Chideya, the National Public Radio correspondent and socio-political analyst. Chideya is a multimedia journalist who has worked in print, television, online and radio. Prior to joining NPR’s “News & Notes” with Ed Gordon, Chideya hosted “Your Call,” a daily news and cultural call-in show on San Francisco’s KALW 91.7 FM. Chideya has also been a correspondent for ABC News, anchored the prime time program “Pure Oxygen” on the Oxygen women’s channel, and contributed commentaries to CNN, Fox, MSNBC and BET. She got her start as a researcher and reporter at Newsweek magazine. In 1997 Newsweek named her to its “Century Club” of 100 people to watch.

Oxford/Jewell Partnership

A week-long cultural exchange and colloquium convened by the Oxford International Review at William Jewell College in November focused on the evolving role of the United States in the Muslim world and how existing alliances inform that role. Participants included United Arab Emirate, Lebanese and Iraqi students, including the first post-Saddam Hussein Iraqi Fulbright Scholar, along with students from William Jewell College.

Because of its location in Clay County, Mo., a “bell-weather” United States county where election results have mirrored national election outcomes since the onset of the 20th century, conference organizers felt that William Jewell afforded the opportunity to introduce international exchange students to the American heartland. The colloquium integrated rich inter-faith components intended to raise inter-faith awareness and generate discussion of the interface between faith and politics in both the Muslim world and the West.

The Oxford International Review is an international affairs journal produced by the world’s finest scholars, including Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright and Truman Scholars in residence at the University of Oxford and their counterparts worldwide. OIR partners with one educational institution in each of the countries in which it operates. William Jewell College, which has maintained strong ties to the academic communities of Oxford and Cambridge since the establishment of its Oxbridge Honors Program in 1982, has been selected as OIR’s American partner.

OIR was launched in 1987 by Oxford scholars in coordination with a group of world leaders. The founding scholars sought to deepen research and reflection on current events through intergenerational debate undertaken on a global scale and on a non-partisan basis. The founding world leaders sought opportunities to interact with those they perceived to be their likely successors while also forging an instrument through which to communicate candidly with one another.

Award Supports Physics Research

William Jewell College has received a $39,893 Cottrell College Science Award from the Tucson, Ariz.-based Research Corporation in support of physics professor Dr. Patrick Bunton’s project entitled ESR and optical spectroscopy of the metal-insulator transition in nanoscale VO2.

“When heated or excited with a laser, Vanadium Dioxide (V02) undergoes a structural phase transition with the remarkable effect that it switches from being a semiconductor to being a metal,” Dr. Bunton said. “VO2 has potential applications that vary from low-tech smart windows in which a coated glass automatically switches to being reflective when heated to more high-tech, high-speed optical switching.”

Dr. Bunton noted that experimental evidence suggests that this phase transition is initiated by a “potent defect” in the material. However, the nature of this atomic-scale defect is unknown. “We hope to shed light on this initiating defect using the tools of electron-spin resonance (ESR) and optical spectrocopies,” Dr. Bunton said. William Jewell College’s ESR Spectrometer was a gift of the Fred Pillsbury Foundation and the Bruker Corporation.

As part of the research project, nanoscale thin-film samples will be prepared by Jewell students in collaboration with graduate students at Vanderbilt University. Mathematical modeling will be completed with the assistance of Dr. Larry Halliburton at West Virginia University. “We are excited about the opportunities for our students that result from this funding and collaborative activity,” Dr. Bunton added.

Service Recognized

William Jewell College is among a select group of colleges and universities nationwide being recognized for extraordinary community service as part of the first-ever President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

In total, 492 schools were recognized on the first President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. A full list is available at http://www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

“We are pleased that William Jewell’s enduring commitment to service-learning has been recognized at the national level,” said President David Sallee. “Service has always been and will continue to be an integral part of the student experience at William Jewell College.”

Among current and recent college service projects are a Habitat for Humanity partnership, compilation of a hurricane relief guide shared with other colleges and service agencies nationwide, and leadership of a fundraising initiative to build athletic fields for physically challenged children. More than 240 volunteers recently participated in the college’s annual Serve and Celebrate Day.

Women Serving William Jewell

The William Jewell College Woman’s Committee, which is comprised of alumni and friends dedicated to the mission of the college, continues an enduring tradition of service to the institution.

The Woman’s Committee was formed in 1965 by a group of Liberty alumnae so that women across the country could join together in support of the college. The committee quickly identified its role in funding scholarships for deserving women students and pursuing practical and aesthetic projects on campus, in addition to providing prayer support to the college.

Over the past 42 years, the organization has awarded well over 100 scholarships to Jewell students. In its efforts to enhance the cultural and aesthetic aspects of campus life, the committee has carried out a variety of projects, including planting trees on campus and providing artwork for the renovated Melrose Hall. Projects undertaken at the President’s Home include installing large planters for the patios and supplying service items such as linens, glassware, china and silver for entertaining guests at the house.

The First Ladies Gallery, a long-term project undertaken by the Woman’s Committee, will be reinstalled soon in the newly renovated Yates-Gill College Union. Portraits of the women who have served the campus as First Lady have been researched, gathered and framed for display.

The Woman’s Committee maintains a membership of about 200 members, with over 100 of those being Lifetime members. The Woman’s Committee meets on campus twice a year, in fall and spring. Dues for a regular member are $10 per year; $25 a year for a Patron membership; and $100 for Lifetime membership. For more information, contact Membership Chair Judy Rychlewski by phone at 816-415-5938, or by email at rychlewskj@william.jewell.edu.