http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/ Test Feeden-us Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:58:21 GMTThu, 05 Nov 2009 16:06:18 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16524MANSFIELD, PA— “Is Franchising An Option?” will be the topic of a workshop presented by franchise expert Lou Lavetan on Thursday, November 12, 7 p.m. at Mansfield University’s Allen Hall. The workshop is free and open to the public. Drawing on his experience as a franchise owner, developer, mentor and consultant, Lavetan will lead an interactive discussion attempting to answer questions on what franchising is and how to find the right franchise to invest in. “With all the economic development that is going on in our area, we thought this would be a great opportunity for people to gather information and get their questions about what is involved in buying and operating a franchise answered,” Dennis Heinle, director of the Mansfield University Leadership Institute, said. Lavetan’s resume includes 11 years as an area development manager for Mail Boxes Etc., now known as the UPS Store. During that time, he owned and managed his own location in York, PA while laying foundations for 23 additional stores in South Central Pennsylvania. Lavetan earned the company’s award for superior operations for nine straight years. He also has had success owning and operating franchises in a maid service and a dry cleaning business, mentoring other owners while building success in his franchises. A consultant since 2004, Lavetan says he has found it to be the most rewarding way to share his franchise experiences. Helping others also find the career freedom he so enjoyed. His philosophy of doing business is based on the motto “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Also while at MU, Lavetan will meet with students to discuss business, entrepreneurship and leadership. The workshop is sponsoring by the Mansfield University Leadership Institute and the MU chapter of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE).  Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:56:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16516MANSFIELD, PA— Sviraj–Balkan Jam, one of the best known Slavic music bands in the U.S., will perform in concert at Mansfield University’s Steadman Theatre on Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. The group will also present a master class/performance at noon in Steadman Theatre and a workshop at 4 p.m. in the Butler Center, Room 163. All events are free and open to the public. Sviraj, pronounced svee-rye with a rolled “r,” means “play on” and it is shouted in encouragement when a tamburitza musician is playing with special energy and inspiration. This group of childhood friends from Steelton, PA, America's tamburitza heartland, and descendants of immigrants from Croatia and Serbia, Sviraj epitomizes the camaraderie, passion, and deep-rooted connection to family, culture and community in tamburitza music. Tamburitza is the great multi-ethnic instrumental and vocal music tradition of the central Balkan peninsula that found its deepest roots among Croatians, Serbians, Roma (Gypsies), and Hungarians and it reflects the deep soul, emotion and melancholy of these peoples. The group also plays music from other southern European countries including Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. For more information on Sviraj, check online at sviraj.com Sviraj’s appearance is sponsored by the MU Music Department and the National Association for Music Education and is supported in part by Student Activities Fees.  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:47:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16506MANSFIELD, PA— Mansfield University students and faculty members Ruchi Tandon, Anthony Kiessling and Daniel George took part in the National Chemistry Week (NCW) celebration held in Painted Post, NY on October 24. As the NCW Coordinator for the American Chemical Society (ACS)-Corning Section, Tandon planned several different experiments, and invited teams from MU, Corning Inc., Osram-Sylvania Global Tungsten Powders and Alfred State College to participate in the event. Nine MU science students took part. In keeping with this year’s theme, “Chemistry-It’s Elemental,” numerous stations where set up where children of different ages got to work on some stimulating chemistry experiments. MU students conducted several interesting experiments for the school children. NCW is a community-based annual event that unites American Chemical Society local sections, businesses, schools and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to our quality of life. This year’s NCW was October 18-24.  Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:23:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16480MANSFIELD, PA—The Mansfield University Jazz Ensemble, the Jazz Lab Band and two jazz combos will combine for a concert on Saturday, November 7, 8 p.m. in Steadman Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public. Kevin Hoferer, who teaches jazz improvisation along with his directing duties, will have two combos performing. “These combos are an important part of the jazz program at Mansfield,” he said. “They afford the participating students the opportunity to interact musically with one another in an improvisatory setting and allow these students to familiarize themselves with tunes from the rich repertoire of jazz standards.” The first combo will perform an arrangement of the standard Out of Nowhere plus a funk tune by James Brown band alum Pee Wee, which was made famous by the late bassist Jaco Pastorius, entitled The Chicken. The other combo will perform their versions of two original jazz compositions, Mean You by Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane’s Equinox. Under the direction of Hoferer, the Jazz Lab Band will perform four arrangements. Bistro Latino by Jeff Jarvis will feature Tyler Krouse, Ed Satterfield, Nick McLean and Crystal Hinners. Trombonist John Fedchock's Skylight will feature John Wojciechowski on tenor saxophone. The band's third number is a transcription of Ellington & Strayhorn's classic Half the Fun, which depicts Anthony and Cleopatra on a trip down the Nile. The role of Johnny Hodges will be played by Tyler Krouse, along with some piano work from Ashley McCormick. The final piece will be Kris Berg's arrangement of Dave Brubeck's Crescent City Stomp, which will feature Nick McLean and Tyler Krouse along with John Ceresini on the drum set. Rounding out the program will be a set by the MU Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Michael Galloway. Their set will kick off with a Gordon Goodwin original, Count Bubba. “This great chart features each of the horn sections in an unaccompanied tutti along with soloists Ben Carraher on tenor and Hanako Henty on piano,” Galloway said. Trumpeter Chris Simmons and vibist Kevin Kern will solo on Bob Florence’s Bossa Nova, Tell Your Story. The show will also include El Gatote, a driving mambo by Matt Harris. Soloists include Nicholas Eischeid on guitar, Deanna Lemmon on alto sax, Chris Simmons on trumpet and Kevin Kern on vibes. “The euphonium is not typically thought of as a ‘jazz’ instrument because it isn’t,’ Galloway said. “But lead trombonist Nate Galloway is actually a euphonium major and is an outstanding player on that instrument. He will be heard in a Tom Dossett ballad, For Dee, which was in fact written as a euphonium feature. Nate does a beautiful job with this lovely tune.” Angelo Stokes will be driving the band in their final selection, Dancing Men, written by John LaBarbera for the Buddy Rich Band. “Angelo is more than up to the task and so is the band,” Galloway said. “It is a fantastic chart and will be a great way to wind up the show.” “Join us for an exciting evening of great jazz, two combo and two big bands,’ he added. The Mansfield University jazz ensembles are all supported in part through Student Activity Fees. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:53:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16474MANSFIELD, PA— John Cavanaugh, the chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), visited Mansfield University on Friday, October 30. Cavanaugh met with President Maravene Loeschke and the Cabinet and held an open forum with students, faculty and staff during his time at MU. At the open forum, Cavanaugh spoke about the difficult times facing PASSHE and its member schools due to the economy and the state budget crunch. He also addressed the State System’s review of programs that have relatively low numbers of students graduating on an annual basis at all the 14 PASSHE universities. At Mansfield, it is being recommended that the bachelor degree programs in French and German be placed in moratorium. Any students currently in those majors will be given the opportunity to see these degree programs through, but new students will not be accepted into their degree programs. MU would also continue to maintain study in the first two years of these languages despite not offering a degree. Cavanaugh encouraged the audience to get involved and make their thoughts known as the evaluation process continues. “I would put out there that somewhere in this conversation we that need to really take a hard look at what is it we’re doing, how we’re doing it and how is it that we’re going to do what we say we’ll do,” he said. “That conversation has to be one that involves everyone--students, faculty, staff and administrators.” Cavanaugh, President Loeschke and Provost Peter Keller stayed well past the end of the forum to continue to answer questions and listen to the concerns of students and faculty.  Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:40:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16468MANSFIELD, PA— The All-American Rejects and Taking Back Sunday concert at Mansfield University’s Decker Gymnasium on Thursday, November 5 is sold-out. In making the announcement, Steve Plesac, director of Student Activities and Student Programming, said, “The response from music fans in the Twin Tiers has been tremendous and we thank them for their support. We hope to be able to bring more concerts like this to Mansfield in the future. “ Thursday’s concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The concert is sponsored by the Student Activities Office and is funded by student activity fees. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:49:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16448MANSFIELD, PA— The Mansfield University sprint football program is the subject of a feature story in the fall issue of NCAA Champion magazine. The story by Gary Brown, entitled “Game Day Again,” chronicles the birth and development of the Mountaineers sprint program after the Division II program was discontinued after the 2006 season. The eight-page story features 22 pictures taken during MU’s season opening win over Princeton on September 19. Now in its second season in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL), Mansfield competes against Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, the United States Military Academy at West Point (Army) and the United States Naval Academy (Navy). MU is the only public university in the country offering sprint football, which has the same rules as regular college football with a weight limit for players of 172 pounds. To read entire article, click here or go to ncaachampionmagazine.org Champion magazine is the premier publication of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It is published four times during the course of the year and is distributed nationally. For more information on the MU sprint football program, check online at gomounties.com  Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:23:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16430MANSFIELD, PA— The new Mansfield University International Walkway was dedicated on Monday, October 26 with a ceremony on the walkway, which runs along the west side of Grant Science Center. International students, financial supporters of the initiative, University officials and members of the campus community were on hand for the event. In explaining the thinking behind the project, MU President Maravene Loeschke said, “We really respect our international students and we’re so happy to have them here. We also wanted to beautify the campus. This walkway, now known as the International Walkway, is much more beautiful because of these flags. And we also wanted to let the larger community know that the world is very, very large. Much larger than Mansfield.” Speaking on behalf of the international students, Emeka Anosike, a sophomore from Nigeria, thanked those who donated to make the project a reality. He also thanked President Loeschke and the rest of the campus community for their support in making Mansfield “a home away from home for international students.” In describing what it means to see his country’s flag flying as he walks to class, Anosike said, “This makes me want to work harder and become the best I possibly can be.” Nine flags, representing some of the 19 countries that current Mansfield students come from, are now in place. Future plans call for more flag poles to be erected for a flag from each country represented in MU’s student population. Until the additional poles are funded and erected, flags will be rotated periodically. Each flag pole comes from a $5,000 donation. Half of that donation pays for the purchase and installation of the pole. The other half goes toward scholarships. For more information on the International Walkway project, contact Director of Development Rebecca Bair at rbair@mansfield.edu or (570)662-4294. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:16:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16409MANSFIELD, PA— “This piano will go on for many, many years and I hope you will enjoy it and it will last and be a part of you.” With those words Marcella Hyde-Smith dedicated the news Steinway piano she and her husband Al Smith donated to the Mansfield University Music Department in the memory of her late first husband, John Hyde. MU music students, faculty and administrators gathered in the Butler Music Center for the ceremony on Thursday, October 22. A longtime benefactor of Mansfield, Hyde-Smith is a 1956 graduate who serves on the Mansfield University Foundation Board of Directors. She is also a former member of the Council of Trustees and the Alumni Association Board of Directors. John Hyde was a 1947 graduate. After his passing, she married Al Smith, a member of the Class of 1949. They reside in Canton, PA. Pointing out that Marcella and Al have also endowed a scholarship fund, MU President Maravene Loeschke told the students gathered that, “Both of these individuals do nothing but give and give and give because they love you, they respect you and they are more than proud of who you are.” After hearing Tyler Wetherbee, a music major from Wellsboro, PA perform the last movement of Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonato (Op. 57) on the new Steinway, Hyde-Smith applauded and said, “I hope I get to hear it many more times.” Hanako Henty, a music major from Towanda, PA, read her essay on what the piano means to her as part of the ceremony. The donation is part of Mansfield’s initiative to become an “All-Steinway School.” The program calls for Mansfield be equipped with more than 70 Steinway or Steinway-made pianos maintained by a full-time technician, certified by Steinway and Sons. For more information on the initiative, contact Rebecca Bair, director of Development at (570) 662-4294 or rbair@mansfield.edu  Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:50:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16400MANSFIELD, PA— Edward Foote has been named director of the new Mansfield University Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (MCEL). He will be responsible for the program development and operations of the Center. In making the announcement, Provost Peter Keller said, “Mr. Foote will significantly enhance the capacity of Mansfield to support entrepreneurship across the Twin Tiers region served by the University. His presence will also support our strong emphasis on leadership development. “ “This is an exciting opportunity for me, Mansfield University and the surrounding communities,” Foote said. “Entrepreneurs can add great value to our local economies and communities, and Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership will be devoted to encouraging and assisting entrepreneurial action.” Foote is a veteran economic development professional, and has served in several positions in the region. He holds a civil engineering degree from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and an MBA with concentrations in Entrepreneurship and New Ventures Analysis, and Marketing, from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Foote ran the Regional Economic Development and Energy Corporation (REDEC) loan fund serving Steuben, Schuyler and Chemung Counties in New York. He created the Keuka Business Park and ran the Keuka Business Incubator in Penn Yan. More recently, as the first executive director of Alfred Technology Resources, Inc., developer of the $10 million Ceramics Corridor project, he was responsible for the start up and operation of the Ceramics Corridor Innovation Centers in Painted Post and Alfred, NY. Under Foote’s direction, the Centers helped start or assist some two dozen businesses, including Xylon Ceramic Materials, Inc. and Silicon Carbide Products, Inc., which both won small business of the year awards. Silicon Carbide Products, located in the Airport Business Park in Horseheads, has annual revenues that exceed $10 million and employs more than 20 people. The mission of the Mansfield University Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is to promote the development of an entrepreneurial culture on and off campus, and to encourage and assist entrepreneurial action. Early plans include the creation of a Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization on campus, an entrepreneur of the year award, and a survey on attitudes towards entrepreneurship. MU was awarded a three-year grant from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to develop the MCEL. “Students will have an increased awareness of entrepreneurial opportunities and will build their skills,” Susan Sweet, director of the Center for Lifelong Learning, said. “Mansfield University is looking forward to strengthening partnerships with businesses and stimulating economic growth within the region.” Sweet, who was instrumental in MU receiving the grant and is overseeing the launch of the MCEL, envisions that The Center will enhance internships for students and entrepreneurial alumni will contribute to the Center’s success.  Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:45:00 GMT