Faculty/Staff News
Oxbridge Tutor Named
 Dr. Kenneth D. Alpern, professor of philosophy at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, has been named to the position of Oxbridge Senior Tutor at William Jewell College.
At Hiram College, Dr. Alpern served as the George and Arlene Foote Chair in Ethics & Professor of Philosophy, and as Director of the Center for the Study of Ethical Issues. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, with distinction, from Kenyon College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He has been widely published, with interests and areas of expertise that extend to the theory and history of ethics; applied ethics (including medicine, business, law, public policy and engineering); critical thinking; the history of philosophy (ancient and early modern); philosophy of language; philosophy of science; and logic.
“This is a key position at William Jewell, with extensive responsibilities for the college’s acclaimed Oxbridge Honors Program,” said Dr. John Westlie, Dean of the College and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “We are extremely pleased to have a scholar of Dr. Alpern’s caliber joining the Jewell faculty. He has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to undergraduate education throughout a distinguished career.”
Dr. Alpern was selected following a nationwide search. He replaces Dr. D. Dean Dunham, Jr., the current Oxbridge Senior Tutor, who retired at the end of the academic year following a career spanning more than 40 years on the William Jewell faculty.
“My heart is in teaching, in the excellence in teaching, and in the mission of the liberal arts,” Dr. Alpern said. “The position of Senior Tutor of the Oxbridge Program at William Jewell is extremely attractive, promising work with highly skilled and motivated students, with faculty from diverse disciplines, in a program dedicated to the highest standards of liberal education.” Prior to joining the faculty at Hiram College, Dr. Alpern served as assistant and associate professor at DePaul University; as assistant professor at the State University of New York College at Oswego; and as assistant professor and instructor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Alpern is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and is immediate past president of its chapter at Hiram College. He is also a member of the American Philosophical Association, the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum.
Faculty Retirements
William Jewell College salutes the following faculty members who retired at the end of the 2005-06 academic year:
 • Dr. Mary Ellen Bleakley, professor of education, 1977-2006
 • Dr. Ronilue Beery Garrison, professor of education, 1980-2006
• Dr. Kenneth B. Chatlos, professor of history, 1969-2006
• Dr. D. Dean Dunham, Jr., professor of English, 1961-1965 & 1969-2006
• Mr. Joseph Truett Mathis, associate professor of mathematics, 1969-2006
• Mr. John P. Young, assistant professor and director of the library, 1964-2005
Each of the retiring faculty members has been recommended for emeritus status by Dr. John Westlie, dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs. The recommendation was endorsed by the Faculty Council and approved by the president and Board of Trustees.
“The value of a superior liberal arts education experienced by our students is built upon the strength of the college faculty,” Dr. Westlie said. “These men and women are distinguished representatives of a noble and ancient profession. As teachers, scholars, mentors and community builders, they have led our students with a common purpose to develop a new generation of leaders.”
Faculty Honors
Dr. Alan Holiman, associate professor of political science, has been designated as a 2006 Academic Fellow by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C. As part of this fellowship, he will join approximately 30 other professors selected from colleges and universities in the United States to participate in a two-week faculty seminar entitled “Defending Democracy, Defeating Terrorism.” The seminar will be conducted at Tel Aviv University in Israel. The course of study will take place in the classroom and in the field and features seminars and lectures by academics, diplomats, military and intelligence officials, and political leaders from Israel, Jordan, Turkey, India and the United States. It also includes visits to military bases, border zones and other security installations to learn the practical side of deterring terrorist attacks. Academic Fellows will also visit detention facilities to interview unsuccessful suicide bombers. The goal of the program is to offer teaching professionals information on a wide variety of terrorism-related issues.
Dr. Holiman has also been appointed to serve as a National Reader for the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in Comparative & American Politics. The National Readers are selected competitively based upon their academic background, course syllabi submitted to the College Board, evidence of advanced teaching experience and commitment to professional development. As a National Reader, Professor Holiman will work closely with a group of professional colleagues from across the nation and will be involved with them in sharing and discussing best practices, innovative teaching approaches and ideas and will participate in developing national standards for future AP Exams.
Professor Holiman also presented a paper at the American Political Science Association National Conference on Teaching and Learning, February 17-19, in Washington, D.C. His paper, “Community Based Learning in Faith-Based Service Organizations,” was developed from his course on Congress & the Presidency in which Jewell students research and write a case study based upon service and field research with faith-based service organizations (FBOs) in the Kansas City area.
An abstract by Dr. Nancy Crigger and Professor Vicki Meek entitled “The aftermath of mistakes in professional nursing practice” was accepted for presentation at the 17th Annual Sigma Theta Tau International Research Conference in Montreal, Canada, July 19-21, 2006. Professor Meek will be attending and presenting their findings at this important international conference.
Dr. Crigger has also had the following articles accepted for publication and/or presentation:
Crigger,N., Holcomb, L. (2005). Practical Strategies for Providing Culturally Sensitive, Ethical Care in Developing Nations, Accepted for publication in Journal of Transcultural Nursing.
Crigger, N., Bennison, L. (2005). Both Sides to the Pharmaceutical Promotion : Unethical Marketing or Business as Usual? Accepted for publication in Advances for Nurse Practitioners, January, 2006.
Crigger,N. (2006). Does meeting the need of a brave new world require a brave new ethic?Accepted for presentation at Globalization of Nursing: ethical, legal and political issues, July 10-11, 2006 in Gildford, UK.
Dr. Crigger and Dr. Meek were also recognized, along with Leesa McBroom, assistant professor of nursing, with faculty development awards from The Research Foundation, a Kansas City-based foundation which seeks to improve and enhance health care in the community.
Vicki Meek, assistant professor of nursing, received the 2006 Teaching Excellence Award. Nancy Crigger, associate professor of nursing, received the 2006 Outstanding Community Service Award. Leesa McBroom, assistant professor of nursing, received funding for doctoral studies. The teaching and community service designations carry cash awards of $1,000 each, while the doctoral study offers annual funding up to $5,000.
Dr. Ruth Kauffmann, professor of languages, was a presenter at the recent Missouri Western Conference on Applied Learning, along with two Spanish majors, Kali Shipley and Elizabeth Hall. The title of their presentation was “Using Formative Evaluation to Produce a Qualitative Analysis of an Applied Learning Unit in an Academic Course.”
Deborah Maltby, Adjunct Instructor of English, presented a paper entitled “Creating Wessex: Thomas Hardy and Literary Tourism,” at the international conference of the Nineteenth Century Studies Association in Salisbury, Md., March 15-19. Maltby is a Ph.D. candidate in English and History at UMKC, where she is a current Distinguished Dissertation Fellow.
Psychology Faculty, Alumni and Students Present Research
Alumni, current faculty and students were among those presenting at this year’s American Psychological Association national convention in New Orleans. Presenters included C. Ray Owens, professor of psychology; Scott Sumerall, former professor of psychology; Patricia Schoenrade, professor of psychology; alumna Laura Curry; and current students Lauren Thompson, Jonathan Saxon, Dawn Renick and Kevin Ruse.
Science Faculty and Students Enjoy Active Semester
 Dr. Anne Dema, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Dan Heruth, professor of biology, recently presented a talk entitled “Design and Implementation of an Inter-Departmental Undergraduate Research Program” at the Conference on Applied Learning in Higher Education.
Jill Jackson, senior biochemistry major, and Dr. Scott Falke, assistant professor of biology, received a Beta Beta Beta Research Foundation grant to fund Jill’s Senior Research Project entitled “The effect of C-terminal truncations on negative cooperativity in substrate binding to the chaperonin GroEL.”
Kelly Jo Easley, a senior biology major, and Dr. Dan Heruth, professor of biology, received a Beta Beta Beta Research Foundation grant to fund Kelly Jo’s senior research project entitled “Identification of a protein responsible for the downregulation of c-myc expression in SW837 colon carcinoma cells upon treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors.”
Staff Recognition
 Angela Stiffler, archival director of the Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies at William Jewell, was appointed by Gov. Matt Blunt to the Missouri Community Service Commission. The group’s mission is to build stronger communities by fostering an ethic of service in all Missourians through empowering communities and citizens from all walks of life to address educational, public safety, human and environmental needs through volunteer service programs.
 Elise Fisher has received a grant through the Missouri State Library’s “Show Me Steps to Career Development” program. The grant provided financial assistance for Elise’s participation in the Computers in Libraries 2006 conference in Washington D.C. March 21-25. The conference is a premier national conference on trends affecting the delivery of information. Funding for the grant is provided by the Library and Technology Act (LSTA) Federal Grant Program.
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