Together on the Yamanashi campus recently, President Whitlock and Yamanashi President Hideaki Nukui “congratulated each other on our excellent partnership,” Whitlock wrote in the blog documenting his two-week visit to Japan. (The blog can be viewed at blog.eku.edu/president and allows readers to post comments.)

President Whitlock called the alliance, extended an additional 10 years, “a key piece in our efforts to increase EKU’s global focus and presence. We need to be involved in this type of relationship if we are to adequately prepare our students for the world as it has become. In the process, I believe we will also develop contacts that will be beneficial to our service region.”

The pact between the two universities originally stemmed from a “sister region” agreement between Madison County and the Yatsugatake Region of Japan, which is part of the Yamanashi Prefecture (or state) about 100 miles northwest of Tokyo. EKU President Emeritus Hanly Funderburk was part of a 25-member Madison County delegation that first visited Japan in 1990. Whitlock now chairs the Madison County International Committee; a Madison County delegation joined President and Joanne Whitlock in Japan this month.

Since the partnership between the two universities was established in 1993, approximately 170 Yamanashi students have come to EKU to study at the University’s English Language Institute. While in Richmond, they are also immersed in the culture of the Bluegrass region. Many of the students go on from EELI to enroll at EKU.

In addition, dozens of EKU students have studied at the University of Yamanashi. During his visit to the Yamanashi campus, Whitlock met with three Eastern students studying there this semester: E.J. Howson, Steven Shearer and Patrick Shoemake.

The President said he hopes the renewal of the agreement between EKU and Yamanashi will lead to more faculty exchanges.

“There are common scholarly interests at the two institutions,” he noted, “and I believe we should encourage faculty collaboration. Yamanashi has a fine wine research institute in support of the Japanese wine industry, which is centered around Kofu. There may be something there we can learn that would be helpful in Kentucky.”

While in Japan, Whitlock also visited Rikkyo University (a “potential new partnership,” he said) and hosted a reception for dozens of EKU alumni and friends in Tokyo. Japan will be home to the first alumni chapter of EKU’s newly-named International Alumni Association not to be based in the U.S.

The Whitlocks paid their own airfare for the visit to Japan.

EKU has many active agreements with international educational institutions, including Liaoning University of Technology, China; Daegu Haany University, South Korea; and the Hogeschool Avans of Breda, The Netherlands; as well as a new membership in an exchange consortium with 12 European Union schools of business and technology, including institutions in Finland, France, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, England, Italy, Austria, Germany, and in Monterrey, Mexico.

Additional partnerships are being sought in South Africa and India.

“Our goal is to have at least one partnership on every continent,” said Dr. Neil Wright, EKU’s Director of International Education.

The three summer-long camps, funded by a $537,400 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates, are expected to attract 8-10 students from across the U.S. and two to four teachers each year. The participants’ time will include classroom time at EKU, laboratory time at UK and two weeks of field camp in and around Perry and Letcher counties in eastern Kentucky.

“We want to encourage promising young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by giving them an intensive, real research experience,” said Dr. Alice Jones, associate professor of geography and director of EKU’s Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute, who is co-directing the camps along with Dr. James Fox, assistant professor of civil engineering at UK.

While there are several hundred NSF-REU sites nationwide, only four are located in Kentucky. Each REU site consists of a group of approximately 10 undergraduates who work in the research program of the host institution to develop a specific research project in close collaboration with faculty mentors. Participants in the EKU/UK program will use the emerging technique of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis to study biogeochemical cycles and their influence on ecosystem dynamics, carbon cycling and storage in soils and sediments in headwater streams, and the impacts of different surface coal mining methods on carbon budgets and erosion in forested and mined watersheds.

“We want to give each participant a real sense of what it’s like to be a working scientist,” Jones said. “But it won’t be all work and no play.

“One exciting thing about this is we’ve designed in two additional trips (a rock-climbing expedition at Red River Gorge and a visit to either Lake Cumberland or Laurel Lake) that are entirely recreational,” Jones said. “That will enable the participants to bond and enjoy what eastern Kentucky has to offer.”

Each participating student will receive a $450-per-week stipend and an additional $500 at the conclusion of the camp toward travel to and attendance at a regional or national conference in their chosen discipline.

Selection of the undergraduate participants will be “nationally competitive,” Jones said, noting that applicants will be judged on academic record, demonstrated interest in one or more of the STEM disciplines, and faculty recommendations. She expects that first-year camp participants will be selected by March 2009. Students can apply for this and other REU programs nationwide by visiting the National Science Foundation’s REU Web site.

Participating teachers, who will be recruited from economically distressed communities in Appalachian Kentucky, where secondary math and science scores are persistently below state and national averages, will be encouraged to develop research projects related to issues in the communities where they teach and live and will be required to develop a comprehensive standards-based unit of study curriculum tied to state-mandated science curriculum standards.

Jones said the Research Experience for Undergraduates program is a perfect fit for EKU’s Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute.

“One of the reasons I’m so passionate about this project is that this is the mission of the Institute: to link what we do as researchers to communities in our service region. It’s a combination of teaching, research and outreach, all happening at the same time.”

The partnership with UK only adds to the excitement.

“This is a true collaboration between Dr. Fox and me at a very fundamental level (and) we hope it will lead to an ongoing research partnership focused on the region,” she said.

A reception will begin at 6 p.m. in the Library’s Grand Reading Room. Afterward, Nikitas will read from “Pyres,” discuss the book and sign copies. Refreshments will be served, and the public is welcome.

Dr. John Wade, interim dean of EKU’s College of Arts and Sciences, called the novel “a real page-turner. I started it one morning and finished it that evening at 2 a.m. I’m delighted to have Derek as one of our new Creative Writing faculty and look forward to the success of our new MFA degree in Creative Writing.”

Nikitas’ work has been compared to that of Joyce Carol Oates, and Publishers Weekly said Oates fans, in particular, “will enjoy this unrelentingly dark and brutal novel with its ironic twists.”

Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Paul Goat Allen boasted, “Nikitas’ stellar work isn’t just one of the best genre debuts of the year. It’s one of the best releases – period.”

Nikitas was nominated for a 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author and received a Pushcart nomination (from Oates herself) and a 2007 fellowship to the Sewanee Writers’ Conference.

EKU’s Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a “brief-residency” program that provides students the opportunity to enter an intensive course of study with minimal disruption. During two residencies each year, students spend 7-10 days in workshops, lectures, and seminars with a distinguished faculty of writers. The remainder of the program takes place via online courses that students can complete within the context of their everyday lives.

The Library event is sponsored by EKU Libraries, the Department of English and Theatre and the College of Arts and Sciences.

This year’s theme welcomes new head football coach Dean Hood.

Thousands are expected for a weekend full of floats, football, family fun and fellowship.

“Homecoming is such a special time each year for the Eastern family,” said Jackie Collier, alumni relations director. “It is a great time for students, faculty, staff, alumni, family and friends to come together to celebrate all that is Eastern.”

Alumni, faculty, staff and friends are invited to start Homecoming events on Thursday, Oct. 23, by joining the EKU Society of Foundation Professors presentation, “Favorite Memories of EKU: A Panel Discussion,” from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Walnut Hall of the Keen Johnson Building.

Four “veteran” employees, along with EKU President Doug Whitlock, will reflect on the University in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Each panelist will spend about 10 minutes relating some of his or her favorite and most vivid memories of Eastern. Panel members include retired head football coach Roy Kidd, Classes of 1955 and 1961; Larry Bailey, ’71, ’79, retired director of Alumni Relations; Glen Kleine, ’73, retired professor of communications and Dean of Applied Arts and Technology; Jeanette Crockett, ’63, ’68, retired Dean of Student Life; and Whitlock, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from EKU in 1965 and 1966. The panel discussion is free and open to the public.

Activities on Friday, Oct. 24, include reunions for the Association of Fire Science Technicians, Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Nu/Sigma Chi Delta and African American Alumni, open houses by the Alumni Office, Wellness Center, Student Health Services and Java City Cafe, and a special black-tie celebration of the University’s successful capital campaign.

Saturday activities include the 31st annual Homecoming Run and the Homecoming Parade at 11 a.m. along the traditional Lancaster Avenue-Main Street route. For race entry information, call 622-8145 or e-mail billy.martin@eku.edu.

The largest tailgate party on campus, the Colonel Country Tailgate, follows from noon to 2:30 p.m. in the Alumni Coliseum Parking Lot. The event will feature booths sponsored by campus clubs, organizations and departments; entertainment; and a variety of foods from on- and off-campus vendors and restaurants.

In addition, numerous campus departments and organizations have scheduled reunion events Saturday, including the Departments of Technology, Agriculture, Fire and Safety Engineering, and Family and Consumer Sciences, the College of Justice & Safety, Alpha Omicron Pi, Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Nu/Sigma Chi Delta and African American Alumni.

At 3 p.m., the Colonels will take on Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Illinois University at Roy Kidd Stadium. The coronation of a Homecoming king and queen will be held at halftime. Game tickets may be reserved by calling the EKU athletic ticket office at 622-2122 or by visiting ekusports.com.

The weekend will conclude Sunday, Oct. 26, with the African American Alumni Memorial Service at 11 a.m. in the Meditation Chapel and Wellness Center tours from 1 to 10 p.m.

For more information about any of the Homecoming activities, contact the Alumni Relations Office at 622-1260 or visit www.eku.edu/alumni.

Abraham Velez, EKU; Ravi Gupta, Centre College; and Jeffrey Richey, Berea College, will present, “Spiritual Freedom in Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism,” on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in O’Donnell Hall in the Student Services Building.

A professor of philosophy and religion, Velez teaches courses on world religions and introductory philosophy at EKU.

Richey began working in 2002 for Berea College, where he is associate professor of religion and director of Asian Studies.

An assistant professor of religion at Centre College, Gupta also teaches a summer course on Sanskrit for the University of Wales Open Learning Religious Studies Programme.

For more information about the Chautauqua series, call program director Bruce MacLaren at 622-1503.

Wade, with 31 years experience in higher education, had served as interim dean of the College since July 2007. EKU’s College of Arts & Sciences includes the Departments of Anthropology, Sociology and Social Work; Art & Design; Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Computer Science; Economics; English & Theatre; Foreign Languages & Humanities; Geography & Geology; Government; History; Mathematics & Statistics; Music; Philosophy & Religion; Physics & Astronomy; and Psychology.

“The Search Committee reports that Dr. Wade engenders high levels of confidence among faculty, staff and administrators,” said Dr. Rodney Piercey, provost and vice president for academic affairs, in making the announcement.

Wade joined EKU as chair of the Department of Economics in 2000 after 23 years as a professor and administrator at Western Carolina University. He has also served as acting associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and acting chair of the Department of History.

“I’m extremely grateful to my colleagues in the College of Arts & Sciences and across the University for their support and cooperation during my term as Interim Dean and look forward to the work ahead,” Wade said. “From dual credit programs for high schools in our region to expanding online course offerings to working for approval of a proposed clinical doctorate in psychology, there is much opportunity ahead. Making things happen for the faculty and students in this college has been very gratifying for me professionally and I look forward to more opportunities ahead.”

Wade earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Purdue University.

The National Organization of Social Work invited professionals specializing in social work to be part of trip sponsored by The People to People Citizen Ambassador Program, created by President Eisenhower, who sought a new path to international understanding. He developed People to People to be the vehicle on that path, believing that if people could visit each other’s homes, attend their schools, and see their places of worship, then the misunderstandings, misperceptions, and resulting suspicions would disappear.

Dr. Norma Threadgill-Goldsen, assistant professor of social work at EKU, is one of two from Kentucky traveling with more than 100 delegates to visit social service and health agencies and educational institutions in Johannesburg and Capetown Oct. 13-23.

She has also been invited to give a presentation to the delegation and the South African host agencies, “Child Protection and Family Care in South Africa and the United States.”

Threadgill-Goldsen, who holds a doctorate in social welfare from Florida International University in Miami, is in her third year teaching in Eastern’s Social Work program.

The sample, collected by two EKU students, Drew Stockwell and Kacie Tackett, with Dr. Neil Pederson, assistant professor of biological sciences, and Rob Watts, manager of Lilley Cornett Woods, in the summer of 2008 as part of an Old-growth Forest Internship, will be used in the exhibition to help demonstrate climate change.

“Climate Change: The Threat to Life and a New Energy Future” will open Oct. 18 and remain on view through Aug. 16, 2009, before traveling to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Mexico, and South America. The exhibition will explore the science, history, and impact of climate change, and illuminate ways in which individuals, communities and nations can reduce their carbon footprints.

According the NCAA’s graduation success rate (GSR), Eastern graduated 77 percent of its student-athletes who entered college between 1998 and 2001. The GSR measures graduation rates at Division I institutions and includes students transferring into the institutions. The GSR also allows institutions to subtract student-athletes who leave their institutions prior to graduation as long as they would have been academically eligible to compete had they remained.

This year marks the seventh year that GSR data have been collected. The NCAA began collecting GSR data with the entering freshman class of 1995. The latest entering class for which data are available is 2001.

The department’s federal graduation rate number was closely aligned to its GSR counterpart, with 80 percent of 2001-02 first-time freshmen obtaining their degree within six years. The federal graduation rate does not account for transfers in or out of an athletics department.

Additionally, the athletics department’s 2001-02 graduation rate was more than double the University’s graduation rate (39 percent).

The event will offer insights into the differences between Traditionalists (born 1925-45), Boomers, Generation X’ers and Millennials (those just now entering the workforce) and give participants tools to improve multi-generational relationships with co-workers and clients. Sponsored by Eastern’s Division of Continuing Education and Outreach and the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, it will be held in the Perkins Building. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the event will conclude by 3 p.m.

The featured speaker is Meagan Johnson, who has entertained and educated audiences worldwide with her presentations on the multi-generational workplace. While working in sales for various large corporations, Johnson became discouraged by the barrage of negative comments about Generation X employees. A Generation X’er herself, she began to research ways to successfully work with the generation and is now known as the “Generational Humorist.”

The event will also include a presentation by long-time Lexington media personality Sue Wiley as well as a panel discussion featuring representatives of three generations. The panel includes: Phil Osborne and Stephanie Apple, chief executive officer and accounts manager, respectively, with Preston-Osborne, a marketing communications and research firm in Lexington; and Nick Rice, a marketing coach, the author of “The Age of Conversation” and a frequent contributor to Fast Company Magazine.

The $59 cost for the event includes lunch and snacks. Pre-registration by Oct. 21 is required. To register, or for more information, e-mail polly.rose@eku.edu or call 622-1225 or 622-1444.

While at EKU, Gilliam has been involved with Sigma Nu Fraternity, ROTC, and Baptist Campus Ministry. He has been a member of the Kentucky National Guard for five and a half years, including a deployment to the Middle East. As a young professional, he has been recognized with several awards, including EKU Outstanding Junior in School Health 2008, Army Achievement Medal, Army Accommodation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National War on Terror Medal, Global War on Terror Medal, Oversees Medal, US Army Medal, Dean’s List for a 3.5 or higher GPA, National Honor Society, and Who’s Who Among American College Students.

KAHPERD is a non-profit association representing professionals in dance, health and safety education, physical education and sport, and recreation and leisure.

What functions and services have been merged under the newly-named Institute?
In general, the newly-named Institute has merged the functions and services formerly under the Institute of Government and the Center for Kentucky History and Politics. However, the new Institute does involve some changes to the previous entities. For example, the new Institute does not retain an emphasis on Kentucky history (independent of more pure “political history”). More importantly, the new Institute seeks to expand the mission of the previous entities in a couple regards. In particular, it involves a deeper commitment to civic engagement and, over the longer run, to applied and basic research.

What impact do you hope the Institute will have on the campus community, region and Commonwealth?
The Institute should have an impact here on campus, in the region, and around the state. Perhaps most importantly, the Institute should be a positive force in promoting understanding of the political system with a special emphasis on promoting an understanding of the responsibilities and rewards of public service, and the significance of each citizen’s active involvement in government.

What is EKU doing and what more can EKU do to increase civic engagement among our students, our campus community and Kentuckians?
While EKU has some well-established efforts with regard to encouraging civic engagement, there is significant room for improvement in this regard. The Appalachian Studies, African/African-American Studies, and NOVA programs among others all do much to promote student involvement beyond the classroom and establish ties in the community. In addition, students become involved through Co-op and independent study. More recently, service learning (through QEP) has come into the mix and I view this as a very positive development. We can enhance our efforts through expanding Co-op opportunities, by encouraging students to do internships, through programming on campus such as the debate viewings in the library these past few weeks, and by increasing our outreach to elementary and secondary education.

After five years now of closely observing Kentucky politics and government, what has surprised you?
Five years of watching Kentucky politics has produced many twists and turns for me. I think the thing that has surprised me the most is how frequently I encounter individuals with a deep interest in, and understanding of, local politics.

Why are so many voters cynical about government and politicians, and what must happen to reverse that?
People are cynical about government and politicians due, at least in part, to lack of understanding of the nature of public opinion and the operation of the political system. Citizens often espouse thoughts such as “if the politicians would just quit bickering and do what the people want.” This reveals a limited awareness of the true existence of differences in opinions and beliefs and the difficulty in resolving these differences to arrive at public policies. While there are undoubtedly politicians whose motives are impure, most individuals seeking and holding public office are sincerely attempting to do what they believe is best for citizens. So, the most important step we can take is education – teaching citizens about the nature of our political system, how citizens’ preferences are represented, and the difficulties in arriving at collective decisions in the face of differences.

How do we attract more of our best and brightest young people into careers of public service?
To attract more of our best and brightest young people into careers of public service we must decrease underlying skepticism and cynicism regarding government and politics. If citizens regard public service as a noble profession and the prestige of public service jobs are held in higher regard, more people would be attracted to this career path. In addition, it would help if remuneration for public service were to increase. For example, lobbyists can earn significantly more money than can legislators. In a capitalist society, which would you choose?

Colbert, J.L. “Corporate Governance and a Program for Complaints Relating to Accounting, Auditing, and Internal Control,” Corporate Ownership & Control, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Spring 2008), pgs. 208-211.

Colbert, J.L. “How to Monitor Internal Controls,” Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance, Vol. 19, No. 4 (May/June 2008), pgs. 41-45.

George, Julie S., and Gardner, Betina. “Bridging the Gap: The Library’s Role in the P-20 Continuum,” Poster Session, Kentucky Library Association Conference, Louisville, Ky., Oct. 3, 2008.

Cross, Al, and Hansen, Elizabeth K. “Keeping Quiet or Taking the Lead?: A Study of Editorial Pages in Kentucky Newspapers,” Newspapers and Community-Building Symposium co-sponsored by the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media at Kansas State University and the National Newspaper Association Foundation, National Newspaper Association Convention, St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 26, 2008.

Hart, Beverly G. “ENA: Advocating Care for Psychiatric Emergency Patients,” Journal of Emergency Nursing, Vol. 34, No. 4 (August 2008), pgs. 359-360.

Judd, Cindy; Trainor, Cindi; and Smith, Kelly. “The Next Generation Catalog Landscape,” Kentucky Library Association Conference, Louisville, Ky., Oct. 3, 2008.

Konkel, R. Steven. “Increasing Research Capacity in Environmental Health in Ireland,” Fulbright Scholar Seminar, Berlin, Germany, April 2008.

McQueen, Keven. Cruelly Murdered: The Murder of Mary Magdalene Pitts and Other Kentucky True Crime Stories, Ashland, Ky.: Jesse Stuart Foundation, 2008.

McQueen, Keven. Forgotten Tales of Kentucky, Charleston, S.C.: History Press, 2008, illustrations by Kyle McQueen.

Myers, Marshall. “A Lincoln Friendship Explored: [Review of] Lincoln and the Speeds: The Untold Story of a Devoted and Enduring Friendship by Bryan S. Bush,” Lexington Herald-Leader, Oct. 12, 2008 (Sunday), pg. E5.

Myers, Marshall. “When Rowan County Was at War with Itself,” Back Home in Kentucky, Vol. 31, No. 5 (September/October 2008), pgs. 26-29.

Parrish, Evelyn; Peden, Ann; and Staten, Ruth Topsy. “Strategies Used by Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses in Treating Adults With Depression,” Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, Vol. 44, No. 4 (October 2008), pgs. 232-240.

Smith, Kelly and Tofan, Cristina. “Creating Online Subject Guides Using LibGuides,” Poster Session, Kentucky Library Association Conference, Louisville, Ky., Oct. 3, 2008.

Zhang, Zhe; Barringer, Bruce; and Tzabbar, Daniel. “Alliances and Customer Dissatisfaction,” Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 13, No. 3 (2008), pgs. 35-46.