http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/ Test Feeden-us Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:58:21 GMTThu, 19 Nov 2009 13:10:32 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16588MANSFIELD, PA— The Mansfield University Council of Trustees, upon the recommendation of President Maravene Loeschke, granted emeritus status to six retired MU faculty at its November 18 meeting. Emeritus status was also granted posthumously to Michael Vayansky, who passed away in September. Granted emeritus status and their years of service are: Celeste Burns, Education & Special Education, February 1975-January 2009 Janet Fuller, Education & Special Education, August 1981-December 2007 Mary McEwan, Health Sciences, August 1993-May 2008 Mark Robarge, Criminal Justice Administration, August 1981-August 2009 Charles Seidel, Psychology, September 1967-May 2009 Jean-Anne Teal, Music, August 1991-May 2009 Michael Vayansky, Chemistry & Physics, July 1966-September 2009 Emeritus status is granted to retired full-time faculty in recognition of dedicated service to Mansfield University. The action was based on the recommendation of the academic departments, Provost Peter Keller, and followed a poll of senior faculty. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:18:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16576MANSFIELD, PA— The Mansfield University Music Department will spread the sounds of the season across the Northern Tier with its annual holiday choral concert on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6. The Saturday performance will be at 7:30 p.m. in Steadman Theatre on the MU campus. The Sunday performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Troy High School Auditorium. More than 200 musicians under the direction of Peggy Dettwiler, director of Choral Activities, will be involved in the performances. The theme for this year’s concert is "Love Came Down," which will be captured in a wonderful mixture of classical and popular pieces sung at times under the magic of candlelight. Selections by Bach, Mendelssohn, Bruckner, Howells and Hogan, as well as other familiar holiday favorites for men's, women's, and mixed choirs from the Renaissance period to the 21st century that describe love in the sacred and secular world will resound from Steadman Theatre and the Troy H.S. Auditorium. The choirs will combine for a celebratory finale entitled Rejoice, written for voices, brass, organ and percussion by Gwyneth Walker. Familiar carols and hymns for audience participation will add to the holiday spirit. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students and children. Tickets are available online at music.mansfield.edu or by calling (570)662-4710. Due to the popularity of the holiday concert, patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and arrive 30 minutes before concert time at each venue. For the Mansfield performance, campus police will facilitate parking. There will also be shuttle bus service from the lower east parking lots on campus to Steadman Theatre. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:40:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16572MANSFIELD, PA— Comedian Bo Burnham will bring his “Fake ID Tour” to Mansfield University’s Straughn Hall on Thursday, November 19 at 8 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m The 19-year old Burnham became known for his politically incorrect, satirical, comedic songs posted on YouTube, where he has his own channel. As of last month, his YouTube videos have been viewed over 52.2 million times. Burnham released his first EP, Bo Fo Sho in June 2008. His first full length, self-titled album was released in March 2009 through Comedy Central records. For more information on Burnham, check online at boburnham.com Due to the nature of his act, Burnham’s show is not suitable for children. Admission is $20 and all ticket sales will be at the door. All concert seating is general admission. MU students will be admitted free with their student ID. The event is sponsored by the Mansfield Activities Council and is funded by student activity fees.  Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:03:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16563MANSFIELD, PA— Mansfield University Professor Joseph Murphy and alumnus Jason Laczkoski will present a saxophone duo recital on Sunday, November 29, 7 p.m. in Steadman Theater. The recital is free and open to the public. The program will include Paul Hindemith’s Konzertstuck, Greensilver by Evan Chambers and Christian Lauba’s Ars. Murphy and Laczoski will also perform Jun Nagao’s Paganini Lost, accompanied by Assistant Professor Ben Moritz on piano. Laczkoski is a 2005 MU graduate. He is completing his Doctor of Music Arts degree at the University of Iowa.  Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:06:00 GMT http://news.mansfield.edu/archives/?i=16543MANSFIELD, PA— Inspired by Francis Bok’s visit to campus in September, and by reading his book, Escape from Slavery, students in Professor Lynn Pifer’s UNV 1100 class for English and Modern Language majors at Mansfield University decided they wanted to help Bok in his efforts to build a school in Southern Sudan. Bok, a former child slave, spoke at Mansfield on September 3. He also visited several classes and met with students, faculty and staff. “We decided to raise money for the school that Bok is building in his village, and we decided that the thing we do best is read,” Pifer said. “So we chose to do a ‘Read-a-thon.’” On Thursday, November 12, students will read from noon-2 p.m. in Lower Manser Hall and at Jazzman’s Cafe in Alumni Hall. The class has already raised $200 by conducting a “Read-a-thon” at Three Treasures Martial Arts in Corning on October 31. “I take Tai Chi at Three Treasures and when the chief instructor, Larry Childs, heard what we wanted to do, he asked for a special story time session for kids,” Pifer said. “Five of my students; Marta Knapp, Brittany Vanvalkenburg, Jeff Moore, Sarah Dellsandro and Chris Puschert, read to several children and their parents. They read stories in English, French, Spanish, German, and one of the mothers read a story in Portuguese. As my grandmother would say, ‘a good time was had by all.’” Students are gathering pledges and requests for Thursday’s “Read-a-thon.” For more information, or to make a pledge or request, contact Pifer at (570)662-4284 or lpifer@mansfield.edu UPDATE: Thursday's "Read-a-thon" raised $350, bringing the total to $550 so far. Donations will continue to be accepted. If you are interested in donating, contact Lynn Pifer at (570)662-4284 or lpifer@mansfield.edu Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:46:00 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 Straughn 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