President Whitlock, Noel Studio Director Dr. Russell Carpenter and Carrie Cooper, Dean of Libraries, will be among the speakers for the 1:30 p.m. program, which will be followed by a reception.

The program is free and open to the public.

The Noel Studio offers a variety of spaces that allow students to develop their communication skills through critical and creative thinking: invention spaces where ideas are born, presentation practice rooms, a presentation suite for delivering and refining oral communication, breakout spaces for spontaneous collaborative group work or creative work with manipulatives, conference space for networking with colleagues on campus and remotely along with practicing and capturing group dynamics, and a discovery classroom for orientations, guest speakers, conferences, and instruction sessions.

The space bears the name of Ron and Sherrie Lou Noel of Union, Ky., long-time supporters of the University whose $1 million-plus gift helped make the $2.8 million facility possible.

The Noel Studio also houses a permanent collection of artwork with a connection to EKU or the University’s primary service region by Kentucky artists.

Through a partnership with LexArts, the EKU Libraries sought out artists and has so far selected and placed 17 pieces of original art by artists from Richmond, Lexington, Berea, Columbia and Danville. The mediums of the artwork vary greatly and include acrylic, welded steel, glass, and dyed and felted wool fiber. One work, by EKU staff member Stacey Street, even features pieces of window pane glass from the 1935 John Grant Crabbe Library addition found during the renovation of the Grand Reading Room.

The Noel Studio embodies EKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which calls for the University to develop informed, critical and creative thinkers who communicate effectively. It is unique in its integration of services, all in a technologically sophisticated environment, designed to enhance students’ writing, speaking and research skills and inspire individual and collaborative learning.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the facility, which is located adjacent to the Carter Building, home of the University’s Department of Agriculture. Sixth District Congressman Ben Chandler will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers will include State Sen. Rocky Adkins, EKU President Doug Whitlock and CRAFT Director Dr. Bruce Pratt. The lab will open for self-guided tours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The opening of the state-of-the-art research facility symbolizes the rapid growth of CRAFT since its establishment in December 2008. In less than two years, the Center has grown from a concept into a viable research center dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary research to develop a regional biofuels industry in Kentucky.

The new facility boasts two large laboratories for biomass analysis and algae research, as well as a smaller lab for algae incubation and microbiology research. It also houses administrative offices and office space for researchers.

CRAFT incorporates the research of 10 research faculty, three full-time research assistants, four graduate assistants and as many as 12 undergraduate students from fields such as agriculture, biology, chemistry and economics. Additional students have been engaged through the incorporation of bio-energy concepts in course content.

In September, Congressman Chandler announced the award of a $2.4 million grant to support CRAFT’s research in developing and demonstrating technologies to break down biomass materials such as switchgrass into sugars useable by microorganisms that produce oil for biodiesel and JP8 jet fuel.

As a director, Hansen will continue to serve on SPJ’s national board of directors and will be responsible for serving the organization’s chapters in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

SPJ supports First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press, high standards of journalism ethics, professional development, journalism education and newsroom diversity.

Hansen, who joined the EKU faculty in 1987, earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas, a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University and a doctoral degree in communication from the University of Kentucky.

She is a 2008-10 recipient of the Foundation Professorship, Eastern’s highest honor for teaching excellence.

Eastern Kentucky University’s Teacher Education Programs have struggled with this problem for many years. Our undergraduate population is 89.8% Caucasian, 5.3% African American, and 4% other. Yet for many of our students, EKU is considered highly diverse! Even in our local school district, only a few schools have more than 10% minority students, and many schools in the southeast, south central region our university serves may have fewer than 10 minority students overall. The only way to ensure our pre-service candidates have any experiences in diverse school settings is to take them to nearby urban areas, such as Lexington or Louisville.

Our concern was structuring these experiences so that our candidates could look past their own prior expectations or beliefs and think deeply about how the instruction and overall learning environment can positively affect student learning. In short, we didn’t want to send our students out to sit and stare at children just because they “look different.” We wanted to craft an assignment that would make them analyze how the school climate impacts student learning.

When the University identified critical and creative thinking as the focus for our SACS Quality Enhancement Plan, we saw a logical connection between critical thinking and developing an appreciation for diversity. With the support of the University, we created a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) of teacher education faculty representing elementary, middle grades, and secondary teaching programs. Our goal was to develop a common assessment task that could be applied in every teacher education program that would assess our candidates’ appreciation and value of diversity AND their critical thinking skills. The task would require that candidates spend time observing students in diverse classrooms in Lexington, research the school’s resources and the community’s demographic data, examine the environment, and write a paper in which they synthesize their experience with the data. However, because we would need to implement the project in a different course for each program, and because each instructor would need to align the candidates’ clinical experiences to the course objectives, the task would have to allow considerable flexibility while capturing both critical thinking skills and diversity awareness. This took time, experimentation, and a good bit of debate within our FLC.

EKU’s Teacher Education Program uses Taskstream, a web-based portfolio system, as a platform for our candidates to demonstrate their mastery of Kentucky Teacher Standards. Taskstream allows faculty to assess “common assessments” within this system. For each task, a scoring guide is created. Candidates upload their work to the portfolio through which faculty can view and score the work. Data from faculty assessments are collected in the Taskstream system, and can be later downloaded in the form of a spreadsheet. Task scores can be summarized and disaggregated by program, year or instructor.

EKU’s QEP program provided support in stipends and professional development funds for faculty who participated in the learning community, food for the FLC meetings, as well as resources. After the first year we created a scoring guide that was use with the teacher education Taskstream e-Portfolio.

The FLC met in early summer after the first year to review the data and discuss student work. Faculty agreed that the initial rubric did not clearly align to the task and wasn’t helping us evaluate our students’ critical thinking skills separate from their attitudes toward diversity. In a day-long workshop, the FLC revised the rubric and will analyze the data again in the spring.

What is clear so far is that our candidates are having positive learning experiences in diverse school settings. Because all of our programs are now requiring that candidates participate in field experiences in urban schools, we have significantly increased their exposure to different school communities. Our students’ comments say it best:

• The way the teacher behaves really makes a difference for these students. The same students behave differently for different teachers.
• I observed a student who went through three class periods and not one teacher addressed him directly. Half way through the third class he started acting out – and finally got some attention!
• I’ll admit that I have not been exposed to much diversity and honestly had some preconceived ideas about what I would see. This experience has changed that.
• I had a great experience at this school and would love to teach here!

More importantly, the analyses they complete are causing them to lend a more critical eye to the importance of school climates, variations in resources from school to school, and how teachers support their students’ learning needs. EKU’s future teachers are learning that teachers can have a powerful effect on learning, for every student.

The Fulbright Specialist Program promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at overseas universities or institutions with education focused programming. The program is designed to award grants to qualified U.S. faculty and professionals, in select disciplines, to engage in short-term, collaborative two- to six-week projects at higher education institutions in more than 100 countries worldwide.

U.S. faculty and professionals apply to join a roster of specialists for a five-year term. Roster candidates are reviewed by peers in the same discipline, and by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Project activities focus on the strengthening and development needs of higher education institutions. Eligible activities include teacher training, short-term lecturing, conducting seminars, special conferences or workshops, as well as collaborating on curriculum planning, and institutional and/or faculty development.

In 2008 Sultana went to Bangladesh for a semester as a Fulbright Scholar. She has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Program. She is a consultant to the Higher Education Commission for the government of Pakistan. Earlier this year she provided professional development to 60 special educators at the National Institute of Special Education in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, for four weeks.

Sultana earned her bachelor’s degree in world history and international affairs, master’s degree in political science and international law in her native Pakistan. She received another master’s degree in education from American University of Beirut, Lebanon and a doctoral degree in special education from the University of Georgia.

Sultana joined EKU as chair of the Department of Special Education in 1980. She retired in 2006 but has remained professionally active, teaching part time in her department at Eastern and traveling overseas consulting, delivering keynote addresses at international conferences, conducting professional development of educators, assisting with curriculum development, designing evaluation systems, and writing public policy in education, among other responsibilities.

Newhart, associate professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion, will present “The Bonobo Mirror Project” at 7:30 p.m. in O’Donnell Hall, the Student Services Building auditorium.

Newhart, who received a doctoral degree in applied philosophy from Bowling Green (Ohio) State University, teaches courses in critical thinking, the philosophy of religion, feminist ethics, health care ethics and animal ethics. She also contributes courses to the Honors Program, Women and Gender Studies, and the new Animal Studies Program at EKU. She has published in the areas of teaching philosophy, medical ethics, motherhood and feminism, and presented papers at several national and international conferences.

For more information about EKU’s Chautauqua Series, visit chautauqua.eku.edu or contact coordinator Dr. Minh Nguyen at minh.nguyen@eku.edu.

Events on Saturday, Nov. 6, include a memorial service, Leadership Luncheon, a special drama and recognition at halftime of the EKU-Jacksonville State football game. Activities on Thursday, Nov. 11, include a symbolic remembrance reading and candlelight vigil.

The annual Memorial Service on Nov. 6 will begin at 10 a.m. at the University’s Memorial Plaza, adjacent to the Powell Building. Col. (Ret.) Carlos Glover will be the speaker.

Following the memorial service, the EKU Army ROTC program is sponsoring a Leadership Luncheon in the Perkins Building at 11:30 a.m. Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, a 1974 EKU graduate, will be the keynote speaker. The Deputy Commander of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Keen was in charge of the military relief efforts in Haiti immediately following the earthquake. Anyone interested in attending should contact Jeanette Lainhart at 622-1205 to make reservations. The cost is $10.

A special presentation of the docudrama “Bringing It Home” will be presented at 2 p.m. on Nov. 6 in O’Donnell Hall of the Student Services Building. “Bringing It Home” tells the stories of five returning Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom student veterans. The event is free, but seating is limited. Reservations can be made from the EKU Veterans Affairs webpage, soto.eku.edu/veterans-affairs.

The final event of Nov. 6 will be the annual halftime tribute to veterans at the EKU football game. The game will be dedicated to the Richmond-based 2123rd Transportation Company serving in Afghanistan. Families representing the 2123rd soldiers will be brought on the field and a special pre-recorded message from the service members overseas will be presented.

EKU is also planning activities on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to honor the sacrifices of all veterans. Beginning at noon next to the Meditation Chapel , a rotation of student volunteers will read the nearly 6,000 names of those who have sacrificed their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. A candlelight vigil will follow the reading, probably about 5:30 p.m.

Also on Nov. 11, kiosks will be set up around the Powell Building for members of the University community to sign postcards thanking soldiers for their service. Students, faculty and staff are also encouraged to pick up a flag at the kiosk to place in a planter in honor of student veterans.

Earlier this year, EKU unveiled Operation Veteran Success, a series of initiatives designed to make Eastern an even more veteran-helpful campus, earning the university a national No. 1 ranking from Military Times EDGE magazine for its commitment to helping veterans further their education. EKU has also been named a Military-Friendly School for the past two years by GI Jobs magazine.

EKU has extended reduced tuition rates to all out-of-state veterans. For post 9-11 G.I. Bill recipients, both resident and non-resident, who have completed 36 months of active federal service, this means no out-of-pocket tuition costs. Also, the University has: waived the $30 admission application fee for all veterans, added recreational programming that appeals to their adventurous nature, developed a veterans-only orientation course, established a mentoring program pairing freshman veterans with returning student veterans, and instituted special cohort classes where veterans can learn together with fellow veterans.

Veterans are taking notice. Among its 16,000-plus students, EKU now counts 650 student veterans and veteran dependents.

The Madrigal Singers, under the direction of Dr. Sue Ellen Ballard, will join with Aramark Dining Services to present the Feastes on Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11, in the Grand Ballroom of the Keen Johnson Building. The doors open at 6 p.m. nightly, with seating beginning at 6:45. The first fanfare will sound at 7.

Tickets, $26 each, can be purchased in the Colonel 1 Office, Room 17 of the Powell Building. Visa and MasterCard reservations may be made by calling 622-2179.

The Singers, accompanied by faculty and student instrumentalists, will present the music for the event, which recreates the song, dance and festivities of 16th Century English madrigal dinners. Guests will also enjoy a five-course meal, prepared and served by Aramark Dining Services.

As part of the 4oth anniversary of the event, the Singers have written the script for this year, which incorporates the Princess seeking the King’s approval to allow men of the court to win her affection. Throughout the evening, vying troubadours will be eliminated through various events. Madrigal Singers alumni will be honored guests for the evening.

Proceeds from the annual community favorite benefit EKU’s Department of Music.

Balcombe will present “Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals” on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in SSB’s O’Donnell Hall.

Balcombe, who was born in England and raised in New Zealand and Canada, has lived in the United States since 1987. He has written numerous scientific papers and lay-articles on animal behavior, humane education, and animal research. A popular speaker, he has given invited presentations on six continents.

In 2000, the Humane Society Press released his book “The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives and Recommendations.” His second book, “Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good,” was released in May 2006, and his third book, “Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals,” is being hailed as his best work to date.

Formerly a senior research scientist with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, in Washington, D.C., Balcombe is now an independent consultant based in Germantown, Md.

For more information about the Chautauqua Series, visit chautauqua.eku.edu or contact coordinator Dr. Minh Nguyen at minh.nguyen@eku.edu.

“Culture and Conflict in Sierra Leone: The Photographs of Paul Basu and Ruth Phillips,” “Ghanaian Art from the Berea College Collection” and “Derechos en Tierra Ajena” (“Rights in a Foreign Land”), are on exhibit through Oct. 29.

Mixed media by Eric Standley, photographs by Mary Rezny and metalwork by Felicia Szorad will be shown in the Gallery Nov. 3 through 23.

An opening reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.

“The Art of Eric Standley” features intimate and highly detailed mixed media constructions referencing Gothic and Islamic architecture. Standley, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts College of Art and a master’s degree from Savannah College of Art and Design, has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, including the Synagogue for the Arts and Rogue Gallery in New York City, Pharmaka Gallery of Los Angeles and Comune di Poggio a Caiano in Italy. An assistant professor of studio art and the Foundations of Art and Design coordinator for the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech, his research includes digital painting and drawing, CNC laser operation and pedagogical design for enhanced creativity in studio classrooms.

Rezny earned a bachelor’s degree from Beloit (Wisc.) College and pursued graduate studies at Oklahoma State University in mass communications and at Michigan State University in graphic arts. She also received a scholarship to attend the Summer Institute at the University Film Study Center in Boston. Since 1976, Rezny has owned M.S. Rezny, Photography Inc., a commercial photography studio in Lexington that specializes in architecture and artists’ slides. Her work has appeared in many local and international invitational and juried shows.

“Sabbatical Exhibition” will showcase recent works by Szorad, associate professor of art and design and Metals Program chair at EKU. Szorad, who joined the EKU faculty in 2001, has exhibited her work nationally. In 2009, she received the Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation Award in recognition of her work in jewelry and metalsmithing. She has also received a Kentucky Arts Council Professional Assistance Grant and a Kentucky Foundation for Women Artist Enrichment Grant, among many other honors. Szorad earned her baccalaureate degree from Bowling Green State University and her master’s degree from East Carolina University.

Gallery events are free and open to the public and group tours are welcome. For Gallery hours, call 622-8135 or contact Esther Randall at 622-1639 or esther.randall@eku.edu.

Union Church is located near College Square at the corner of Prospect and Main Street, across from Boone Tavern. Adult education classes, which are free and open to area residents 16 years of age and older, will be held in the church’s community room on the lower level.

Funded by Kentucky Adult Education, classes focus on English and math skills, and preparation for the GED test. Registration is continuous.

For more information or to register, contact EKU’s adult education office at 622-8065.

What are the duties of the Program Coordinator?
As program coordinator, I have a variety of duties. I’m responsible for day to day operations of the CRAFT program, including the oversight of CRAFT’s many individual research project grants and acquiring equipment and supplies for research projects. I work with faculty and staff to produce reports for our grants. I’m also responsible for marketing the CRAFT program through coordinating special events such as our recent BioEnergy Field Day in September and the development of marketing materials, media releases and maintaining the project’s website. I also assist in developing the program’s policies and procedures along with program evaluation and assessment.

What is the biggest challenge in the new position?
My biggest challenge as program coordinator so far has been wrapping my brain around much of the scientific research behind the CRAFT projects. My background is in political science and marketing, so understanding the finer points of saccharification and catalytic conversions can be difficult. Luckily, we have a great group of research faculty and staff who take care of the science.

What attracted you to this role?
I was attracted to the CRAFT Program due to my interest in the alternative energy industry and its role in economic development within Kentucky. I feel that this is a growing and exciting industry that has local, national and international implications. And since CRAFT was just established in December of 2008, I was excited to work in a program in such an early stage of development. I felt that I would have the opportunity to have a direct impact on CRAFT’s development and grow along with the program.

I was interested specifically in the program coordinator position due to the variety of responsibilities, especially in budgeting, marketing and program development.

How has your education and past experience helped prepare you for the position?
I believe my previous work experience in marketing and budgeting and my ongoing education in public administration has been critical to preparing me for this position. Since CRAFT is essentially a brand new program, a lot of work has been done, and will continue to be needed, to promote the program in terms of special events, marketing materials and website development. By promoting the research being conducted at EKU, we’ll have more opportunities to collaborate with other research institutions and public and private partners. My background in budgeting has very helpful in maintaining oversight of CRAFT’s multiple grants and the numerous expenditures required in building the program. And as I continue to work on my Master’s in Public Administration, I’m constantly being exposed to best practices in areas such as program evaluation, public budgeting and public management.