So says John D. Byrnes, founder and CEO of the Center for Aggression Management, who was on the Richmond campus recently to help train dozens of EKU staff and faculty in the use of CAPS, which is based on the measurement of emerging aggression.

Because CAPS is grounded in the principles of prevention and mitigation, it meshes well with the University’s Student Assistance and Intervention Team, according to Dr. Claire Good, associate vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students. The core members of the team, which has met regularly for the past two years to discuss potential developing situations and work toward policy development, are Good; Dr. Jen Walker, director of the Counseling Center; Mark Welker, executive director of public safety; and Kenna Middleton, director of University Housing. Others join the team as situations demand.

“The intention of this team is to take a holistic view of what’s going on with a student, gather information, talk with the student, and figure out the best way to help them,” Good said.

The goal is not to punish students, but to help them get the support they need. “It’s a pro-active approach, not punitive, and has nothing to do with law enforcement or the campus judicial system,” Good emphasized.

Dr. Jim Conneely, vice president of Student Affairs, said, “Our approach when we meet with a student is, ‘Here are our concerns, we care, what can we do?’ The point is to intervene in an earlier fashion, because we don’t want it to get to the point where a person exhibits violent behavior. We hope we can take some positive steps before problems escalate into major issues.”

The aim of CAPS is to track both primal and cognitive aggression, identifying acts of emerging aggression based on an objective scale and then recording those acts in a software-based tracking system. Responders are trained to intervene appropriately to stop the aggressor before serious harm can be done. Use of the CAPS system is another tool for use by the Student Assistance and Intervention Team, Good said, and adds another component in identifying appropriate assistance or intervention strategies.

Byrnes said CAPS features three components: first observers (the eyes and ears for aggression on campus), qualified responders (trained assistance/intervention team members) and the software platform (meter of emerging aggression and longitudinal tracking of aggression on campus).

“It’s another way to utilize multiple resources and incorporate technology that allows us to better serve students,” Conneely said. “It plays to our goal of student success.” Through the training, EKU faculty and staff will learn to distinguish between simple aberrant or disruptive behavior and threatening behavior and how to identify and report “red flags” more effectively.

Byrnes said that, in learning to objectively measure aggression, EKU faculty and staff will be better equipped to determine an aggressor’s potential for violence and engage with appropriate skills to make the campus safer.

Byrnes also noted an Education Testing Service study that shows a corresponding relationship between aggression on campus and learning. “As CAPS diminishes aggression at EKU, it will also enhance learning.”

More than 60 staff members and a handful of faculty members participated in the initial round of training. “We’ll open it up to faculty and staff across campus soon,” Good noted.

The Center for Aggression Management was founded by Byrnes in 1993. The author of “Before Conflict: Preventing Aggressive Behavior,” he is a frequent presenter for some of the country’s largest corporations, organizations and schools.

Did Pima Community College have any other possible course of action other than to suspend alleged Tucson shooter Jared Loughner and tell him he could not return to campus unless he could produce a positive mental evaluation? The benefit of hindsight aside, was that the best course of action?
In situations where there has been the loss of life such as occurred recently in Tucson, it is normal to ask the question what more could be done. We want to think of means to ensure that we can prevent such things from happening in the future and on our campus.

Since the facts surrounding the Tucson shooting are still unraveling, it is hard to know what further actions, if any, Pima Community College should have taken. According to media reports, the college recommended that Jared Loughner obtain a mental health evaluation and not return to Pima College until he could demonstrate that he was stable enough to return to the campus environment. This action removed him from the campus where it was felt he was disrupting the learning environment. Further recommendations included suggesting that he receive mental health assistance. The approach taken by Pima College is a fairly standard practice at some college campuses. Could Pima College have done more? I think it would be premature for us to claim that Pima College could have taken additional steps in this case without having all of the facts, and there are still facts in the case about which we know very little.

A little different question we could ask ourselves is what can be done if someone refuses to receive mental health services who appears to need them and there is a present risk of harm to self or others? If the person is mentally ill and poses an imminent danger to himself/herself or others, the person can be required to be evaluated for involuntary hospitalization. In Kentucky if the police know of imminent danger to self or others, they can transport the individual to be evaluated at the state hospital. Many times it is not a mental health professional who has the information or has observed the behavior that is of concern. Oftentimes it is friends, associates, co-workers, teachers, neighbors or family members who have heard the person make statements or engage in behaviors that would indicate that they are a danger to themselves or others. In these cases, family members, friends or others can file a petition at the county attorney’s office requesting an evaluation for involuntary hospitalization. In order for persons to be hospitalized against their will, there are certain criteria that must be met. Among the criteria is the person is mentally ill and poses a danger to self or others. Concerned others can take this action when safety of others is involved and the individual is unwilling to seek help on his/her own.

What is a campus community’s overarching responsibility when it comes to dealing with those who may have mental issues?
While the University Counseling Center directly addresses the mental health issues of its college students through the variety of services it offers, I believe that the entire campus community serves as an important link in recognizing students in distress and in connecting those students to the appropriate avenues of help. Oftentimes the faculty member has observed behaviors or seen writings that would indicate that the student is troubled. If there are behaviors, statements, writings or postings revealing distress in students that others in the university community have observed, reaching out and encouraging the student to get help is recommended. There are suggestions on the Counseling Center website on how to speak to the distressed student as well as referral strategies. See the Counseling Center website Faculty/Staff section for these guidelines (www.counseling.eku.edu/fac-staff/referring.php). If the student refuses help and there is significant concern about the student, a call to the Dean of Students (622-2642) would be recommended. She can follow up with students of concern if they are unwilling to seek help on their own.

Another important way that the university can help address the mental health needs of our students is to ensure that there are always adequate counseling services available on campus to address the complex and ever growing mental health needs of our students. According to a recent NY Times article entitled “Positives with Roots in Tragedy on Campus” New York University expanded its counseling staff from 25 to 40 after the five suicides that occurred on their campus a few years ago; Virginia Tech added an additional psychiatrist, two nurse practitioners and seven counselors after the Virginia Tech tragedy. All admitted to being understaffed when these tragedies occurred. Pima Community College is said to have a student population of 68,000 and yet there are no mental health services offered. Perhaps in the wake of this tragedy, community colleges such as Pima will provide services designed to address the mental health needs of its students.

What statements, behaviors or actions would qualify a member of our campus community to be considered a possible threat and worthy of intervention? In other words, at what point does safety trump confidentiality?
Members of the campus community need to take action if:

• The student makes threats to harm themselves
• The student makes statements such as “I don’t want to be here anymore” or “goodbye, you won’t see me tomorrow.”
• The student threatens to harm another person.
• The student is irrational and seems to be out of touch with reality and is not making sense.

Call campus police (622-2821 or 911) if there is imminent risk, contact the Counseling Center (622-1303) and ask to speak with an on-call counselor if you are with a student who has an urgent mental health issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

If that line is crossed, what course of action can a faculty/staff member or student legally take? In other words, what rights does a university or a member of the university community have in dealing with someone deemed to be a threat to himself and/or to public safety?
When safety is at stake, ensuring safety becomes the priority in the situation and contacting the appropriate person to address the situation should occur immediately. The Decision Tree mentioned earlier lays out the various scenarios. See www.counseling.eku.edu/fac-staff/distressed.php.

What has been done/is being done to educate members of the campus community to spot the warning signs and take appropriate action?
The Counseling Center provides training to faculty and staff on how to recognize warning signs of the distressed student and how to respond. Training is also provided to residence hall staff on how to refer to the Counseling Center and how to talk with students in distress. The Counseling Center has also met with departments to provide training on how to identify warning signs of distress and what steps to take. The Counseling Center welcomes any invitation to come to department meetings and provide training on detecting warning signs of distress and how to respond in helpful ways. As mentioned before, the Counseling Center has developed a very helpful guide for faculty and staff which provides a decision tree on how to identify warning signs of the distressed student and what actions to take. See www.counseling.eku.edu/fac-staff/distressed.php.

What are some of the common challenges that campus behavioral intervention teams face?
Receiving critical information and warning signs from the university community as soon as possible is the most significant challenge. Dr. Claire Good (622-2642), Associate VP and Dean of Students, should be contacted as soon as possible with critical information. Sometimes people are reluctant to get involved and sometimes people believe that the situation is going to get better and is insignificant. There are times when the person may feel that speaking to an administrator about their observations is a breach of confidentiality. In life-threatening situations, safety takes priority. Getting the information early to the right persons is critical. Sometimes people feel that their information is not important. Behavioral intervention teams want any information of concern.

College can be a very stressful experience for some students. What are some of the stresses that the typical college student must manage?
The college years are an overwhelmingly wonderful time of life. There are many important developmental changes occurring: developing independence, developing long term relationships, and making important decisions about one’s career path. College students are attending college with more complex mental health issues than ever before. Time management, academic stress, financial problems, stress, relationship problems, test anxiety, public speaking, eating concerns, substance abuse issues, anxiety, trauma, loss and depression are among the issues students address in counseling.

Recent (2010) national studies reveal:

• 43% college students reported that they were so depressed it was difficult to function
• 49% of Counseling Center (national data) clients have severe mental health issues
• 25% of Counseling Center clients seriously considered suicide

From what you have learned about Jared Loughner, to what degree if any should “society” shoulder any blame for his actions?
Instead of blame I think we need to consider being better informed about mental illness and how to reach out to those in distress AND we need to make sure that there are enough mental health services available to address the growing need.

We know that there are warning signs in 80% of all completed suicides. We know that those who commit violent shootings tell someone of their plan at least 75% of the time. If someone hears or observes these signs there is a chance of preventing the tragedy by telling the appropriate person who can address the situation.

I believe we need to be more educated about mental health issues. Those with mental illness tend not to be violent. The truth is that those with psychiatric illnesses are more likely to be victims of crime rather than perpetrators.

I believe we need to recognize that the mental health needs of our students and our society at large are huge. As a society we need to ensure that mental health services are more accessible.

I also believe that as a society we must make responsible decisions about accessibility to firearms and universities need to have strict policies about the possession of firearms on campus.

Are there some inherent weaknesses in the American mental health system that if addressed might reduce the prevalence of such violent incidents?
The major weakness in the mental health system is that the need for mental health services has far exceeded the capacity of mental health agencies to address these needs. The needs are enormous. Sometimes there are waitlists for weeks or months before a person can be seen by a mental health professional. The cost for mental health services is not always covered by insurance companies. Many who need mental health services cannot afford them. Oftentimes individuals would like to go to psychiatric hospitals for care but do not have insurance. Our society needs to recognize and address the need for more accessible, affordable mental health services in order to accommodate the huge demand for these services.

At the Counseling Center, you are seeing a heightened need for mental health services. What are some reasons behind this? How big a factor is substance abuse?
Yes there is a heightened need for mental health services. This is a national trend. It is reported in the national Counseling Center Directors Survey for 2010 that 95% of Counseling Centers in the country are finding that students are coming to college with more complex, severe problems than ever before.

• Many students have experienced abuse or trauma
• Many struggle financially and are concerned about basic needs
• Many are children of alcoholics

Several years ago when we observed the significant increase in demand for mental health services at our center our staff conducted a mental health needs survey at EKU. We learned the following about our EKU students: 78 percent of EKU students experience significant academic stress, 57 percent experience significant worry about choosing a field of study/major, 54 percent experience significant financial problems, 44 percent experience significant problems in important relationships, 33 percent experience significant amounts of anxiety and 32 percent experience significant depression.

In closing, we want our students to be successful, to reach their goals and to live in a safe environment while at EKU. In a recent article in NY Times, one administrator from a prestigious university was quoted as saying that their university wanted to be known for its Nobel Prize laureates, not its mental health care. In contrast, I would hope that at our university we can say that the EKU community cares about and educates the whole student and is invested in being responsive to both their intellectual and emotional needs.

For Hoskins, who earned two degrees at EKU and just last year was honored with a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the EKU Department of Communication, the new position marks a homecoming.

“In embracing this challenge, I feel that I have returned home,” Hoskins said. “I owe a great debt to the University for what it has contributed to my life both professionally and personally. Now, I look forward to the opportunity to give something back.

“Eastern Kentucky University has a long and treasured tradition of enhancing the lives of its students and the citizens of Kentucky,” Hoskins added. “EKU’s Center for the Performing Arts will mark a new chapter in that heritage. EKU is not an institution that is satisfied to just do enough and stop. Rather, it constantly strives to do better and more, and that will set the tone as we develop the ongoing goals for the new Center. We will work to make the EKU Center a model of achievement not only for the region but on the national scene as well.”

Working alongside former Norton Center Director George Foreman, Hoskins certainly did just that in her former position. After Foreman left for a similar position in Georgia a year ago, Hoskins was the key person in attracting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Gustavo Dudamel to the Norton Center last fall. “There’s no question that without Debbie, it wouldn’t have happened,” Centre Vice President for College Relations Richard Trollinger told the Lexington Herald-Leader in December.

Hoskins earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from EKU in 1990 and in 2007 added a master’s degree in public administration. Last year, she served as keynote speaker at the EKU Department of Communication Career Day, one of many times she has spoken to Eastern students.

“We’re very pleased that Debra has returned home to Eastern,” President Whitlock said. “We have noted with great interest and pride the progress of her career, and we are delighted that she is joining us at this pivotal time in the life of our Center for the Performing Arts. We are confident that under her leadership we’ll be able to develop the kind of programs that have been envisioned for this outstanding facility.”

Whitlock has often said the new EKU Center will be the finest such facility in the Commonwealth. It will house a 2,012-seat “Broadway-capable, Broadway-quality” theater (the second largest performing arts theater in Kentucky) with a “fly system” and a 60-foot-wide stage. The center stage depth with the orchestra lift in place (at stage level) is 58 feet, and the height of the proscenium arch from the stage to the top of the arch is 24 feet. The height from the stage to the walking surface of the grid above the stage is 62 feet.

The facility also features a configurable “black-box” theater with seating up to 250. EKU’s Center for the Performing Arts is located adjacent to the University’s Business & Technology Center, on the south side of the Eastern By-Pass between Lancaster Road and Kit Carson Drive.

The funding strategy for the Center was unique because it joined state, county and University resources. A 13-member Board of Directors consisting of representatives of EKU, the City of Richmond, City of Berea and Madison County, was established to oversee design, construction and operations.

Dr. Bob Rogow, dean of EKU’s College of Business & Technology and chair of the Center’s Board of Directors, said Hoskins “knows the regional audience better than anyone and … has the contacts and reputation locally, regionally, nationally and internationally that will bring immediate credibility to The Center for the Performing Arts at Eastern Kentucky University.”

At the Norton Center, Hoskins participated in the management of performance series, exhibitions and special events. She was responsible for contract and booking negotiations, as well as all public relations, advertising sales and marketing for season performances and special events, and had primary responsibility for coordination of on-site arrangements. She also supervised approximately 100 student employees, who served as ushers and valets and in other venue positions.

During her tenure, the Norton Center attracted leading performers in classical, pop, rock, country and jazz music, including the Boston Pops Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Vienna Boys Choir, The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, Mark O’Connor, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill and Dolly Parton, among many other notables. In addition, the Norton Center presented theater productions of Camelot, CATS, A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma!, Show Boat, South Pacific and The Sound of Music, as well as more contemporary favorites such as Blue Man Group and Stomp, among many others.

In addition, Hoskins is assisting Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in producing the Chamber Music Festival of the Bluegrass May 28-29, with artists from the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center in New York City.

Abney, who has chaired the Board for the past year, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from EKU in 1970. He is the latest in a long line of highly successful Eastern grads to return to chair the Board of Regents at their alma mater, succeeding J.T. Gilbert, Fred Rice and, most recently, Hunter Bates.

A former bank executive and now a Realtor, Abney has long been active in community affairs and in the life of the University. For the latter, he has served as president of the Alumni Association and the Colonel Club and as chair of the Arlington Association. He was named to the University’s Board of Regents in 1999.

“Gary Abney represents what I often call the ‘Essential Eastern’ as he embodies an alumnus who has taken his EKU education and experiences to become the successful businessman and civic leader he is today,” said EKU President Doug Whitlock. “Through his continued leadership as Board chair, Gary will help us accomplish our primary goals of student success, regional stewardship, and preparing students to become critical and creative thinkers who communicate effectively.

“I look forward to continuing to work with him this year.”

In a recent issue of Eastern magazine, the University’s alumni publication, Abney was described as calm, positive, courteous and conscientious, a “gifted leader with a true heart” for Eastern. Abney is “a people person (who) knows and likes everybody,” said Faculty Regent Dr. Malcolm Frisbie.

Abney’s family roots run deep at EKU. The son of Ralph Abney and Eastern graduate Marie Anderson Abney, Gary Abney graduated from Model Laboratory School on campus before entering Eastern. His daughter, Susan Abney Creamer, is a third generation graduate of Model. Son Brian is a 2001 EKU graduate. By Abney’s side is his life partner, local ophthalmologist Dr. Adrienne Millett.

His brother, Bill, is a retired faculty member at EKU.

In other action, the Board gave its approval for the University to proceed with a request for proposal that would have EKU become the fixed-base operator at Madison Airport. The airport is home to the University’s aviation program.

The Board also approved a new baccalaureate degree program in Deaf Studies, to be delivered through the Department of American Sign Language and Interpreter Education. This will be a multidisciplinary program that provides students with a foundation in American Sign Language skills, a broad understanding of deaf people’s histories, literature and cultures, as well as knowledge of educational and legal issues affecting deaf people.

In other action, the Board approved a proposal to accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as an alternative to the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). It is believed that this will allow EKU to be more competitive in the recruitment of international students.

President Whitlock, in his remarks to the Board, noted that the building formerly known as the Student Services Building is now known as the Student Success Building.

“It’s just another way to show our commitment to our students and their success,” he said.

McGuire, a member of the Corbin community since 2004, was recognized alongside fellow award recipients on Jan. 27. The U.S. Army veteran moved to Kentucky in 1997 and previously taught at Eastern’s Richmond campus before becoming a full-time faculty member in Corbin.

In addition to providing leadership to teacher candidates and advising and counseling education majors in her role at EKU, her dedication to helping her neighbors was cited by those nominating her for the award, according to the Corbin Times-Tribune, which featured a full-page story on each honoree.

She not only helps neighbors who do not have the stamina or physical abilities to landscape or maintain their lawns, but regularly makes home visits to elderly members of her neighborhood and has even driven needy neighbors to the doctor or hospital and remained to keep them company during their stay.

QEP is alive and being implemented in numerous ways in the College of Health Sciences. Here is a snapshot of what we’re doing to comply and excel with the implementation of our QEP:

The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences has enhanced its capstone course, FCS 400, Ethics and Advocacy in FCS. It was approved as a writing intensive course in Fall 2009. Currently there are two courses “in development” as writing intensive. One faculty member, Dr. M. Wilson, is a QEP Coach.

QEP is alive and well in the Department of Occupational Therapy . OT Graduate students in OTS 871S had the opportunity to develop intervention plans for children in collaboration with communication disorders student in CDS 874. The Paul & Elder model Intellectual Standards shaped online interdisciplinary discussions. OTS 478W was just approved as a Thinking Across the Curriculum writing intensive course. Occupational Science students will participate in a major capstone writing project. They will practice giving and receiving feedback to improve written communication skills. They will also use the Noel Center to practice oral presentation of the project. The OS and OT faculty are committed to the EKU critical thinking project within disciplinary applications.

One way the Department of Recreation and Park Administration has implemented the QEP is with a focus on student research. The Department is hosting a Research Symposium this spring that will involve many of our students. In addition, several students presented research at the 2010 Kentucky Recreation and Park Society conference.

A continued initiative within the Department of Recreation and Park Administration was a QEP Service-Learning project promoting critical and creative thinking and communication skills of the involved students. Another goal of the project was to increase community engagement through service-learning activities focusing on an external community need. This project involved the continuation of a student-learning course (REC 512S), and a new collaboration between the Department of Recreation and Park Administration and Richmond Parks and Recreation to provide recreation programming for pre-school Special Olympics children.

The Department of Exercise & Sport Science is beginning its incorporation of QEP. Tracey Spigelman, has completed her QEP coach training and will conduct a workshops at the February or March faculty meeting.

Terri Loan from the Department of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Department has implemented QEP into her classes:

• In NSC 350, she reviews the Paul & Elder model on the first day of class and tells them how it can be used to study pathophysiology. She also gives them the SEEI framework and shows an example. She repeats this example at subsequent class sessions to help explain some of the more complex topics, such as the Frank-Starling Law of the heart. Loan then asks the students to explain some of the concepts in their class discussion, using the SEEI framework.
• Usually around the time between the first two exams, she puts an anonymous survey on BB to ask for student feedback about what characteristics of the class, and in their own behaviors, are most and least helpful to their success in the course. Then she asks if they have felt "lost" while studying the content and what actions they take to try to achieve clarity.
In NSC 378 Short Topics/Clinical Nursing, Loan reviews the Paul & Elder model more specifically as it relates to the nursing process and how critical thinking skills can be used for making clinical decisions. The Paul & Elder critical thinking guide is required for this course. She also gives them a handout from the new Clinical Reasoning book by Paul & Elder that they use as a guide for writing a patient scenario.
• Each student in 378 writes a patient scenario and does a class presentation for a specific topic chosen by the class as needing review. For this assignment, students are required to identify one of the Paul & Elder elements of thought and describe how they used that element in developing a patient care plan. The Fall 2010 378 class all did very well with this assignment.
• Loan modified the EKU QEP grading rubric for written assignments as a grading rubric for the student presentations in NSC 378.

A new state-of-the-art commercial foods laboratory opened last fall on the third floor of the University’s Burrier Building. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility, located in Room 301, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What may be of even more interest to the campus community is what the commercial foods lab will make possible, beginning in the fall of 2011. Adjacent to the lab, a new table service restaurant will open, providing four-course midday meals two days a week throughout the fall semester for up to 40 guests. The restaurant, which overlooks Irvine McDowell Park, will be managed and operated by students enrolled in EKU’s baccalaureate dietetic program.

Dr. Jim Haynes, nutrition professor who teaches the food service courses, said the new lab will “give our students hands-on experience with the type of food service equipment they’ll see when they get out in the field. They’ll learn how to maintain and care for it and learn the impact that equipment can have on productivity and efficiency.”

Haynes, who joined EKU 10 years ago, is a 30-year veteran of food service management, having served as director of food services at Wofford College and Arkansas State University.

The lab equipment includes ranges with salamanders, ovens, steam jacketed kettle, oven steamer, tilt braising pan, charbroil grill, convection oven, and slow roaster, along with refrigeration and dish-washing equipment, plus much more.

The facility also features a unique, electronically-controlled ventilation system. When the electronic sensors detect heat in the kitchen, the electric air handlers engage and the heated air is removed. The ventilation system runs at various speeds depending upon the amount of cooking heat the sensors detect. “The system is sustainable, and has the potential of saving tremendous amounts of energy,” Haynes said.

In addition to learning the equipment, students are expected to learn and follow proper food handling and processing regulations.

The restaurant will give EKU students the opportunity to serve as managers and chefs, among other positions, and experience every facet of the food service business: procurement, preparation, service, cleaning and management.

Plans are to offer a “healthful, upscale” meal at a set price, probably about $10, Haynes said. The meal, which will be served from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, will vary from occasion to occasion so students can gain experience with different foods. A website for the restaurant will feature the menus for the entire semester and enable patrons to make reservations online.

The program is requesting suggestions for an appropriate name for the new restaurant. The provider of the winning entry will receive two free meals in Fall 2011. To enter, e-mail your name, e-mail address, telephone number and suggested name to jim.haynes@eku.edu.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the foods lab on Feb. 17 will include remarks, tours and refreshments.

The exhibition, jointly sponsored by the Chautauqua Lecture Series and the Department of Art and Design, features the works of 34 artists from across the nation using a wide range of media and approaches.

All gallery events are free and open to the public. Call 622-8135 for gallery hours.

Greene, whose talk is part of the University’s year-long Chautauqua series on “Nature’s Humans,” will speak on “Breakthrough Thinking: Challenging What We Know” at 7:30 p.m. in O’Donnell Hall of the Student Success Building (formerly known as the Student Services Building). The event is free and open to the public.

MacLaren, the founding director of the annual Chautauqua series at EKU, stepped down from that role a year ago.

In explaining the title of his talk, Greene said, “By showing how easily hidden assumptions can be overlooked, by showing the power of asking seemingly simple-minded questions to which everyone already ‘knows’ the answer and by showing how diverse viewpoints can complement each other and produce what no single perspective could yield on its own, attendees will gain an understanding of what constitutes breakthrough thinking, examine crystal clear examples of mind-set changes that yield revolutionary insights, learn how individuals and organizations can cultivate critical, creative thinking, and acquire the inspiration to overcome daunting challenges by breaking previously unforeseen ground.”

The presentation is sponsored by the University’s Office of Quality Enhancement Programs, the Noel Studio for Academic Creativity and the Office of Graduate Education and Research.

As a physicist who has been working on quantum gravity and unified theories for nearly two decades, Greene is widely recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in the field and also for his lucid presentations of cutting-edge research to scientists and fellow physicists as well as to general audiences.

Greene’s book, “Icarus at the Edge of Time,” is a futuristic retelling of the Icarus myth.

Since 1996, Greene has held a full professorship in both the physics and the mathematics departments at Columbia University. He has lectured in more than 25 countries at both a general and a technical level.

His research interests focus on the quantum mechanical properties of space and time. In 1990, Greene and a Harvard colleague discovered mirror symmetry — a remarkable property of string theory that has launched a vibrant field of research in both mathematics and physics. In 1993 and subsequently in 1995, Greene and his colleagues discovered topology change. Whereas Einstein’s general relativity shows that the fabric of space can stretch in time (resulting in an expanding universe), it does not allow the fabric to rip. To the contrary, Greene and his colleagues showed that in string theory — by including quantum mechanics — the fabric of space can tear, establishing that the universe can evolve in far more dramatic ways than Einstein had envisioned.

In 2003, Greene hosted the three-part NOVA special “The Elegant Universe,” which won an Emmy Award and a 2004 Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. The NOVA website received nearly 2 million hits during the three-day airing of the show.

He also co-founded the first annual World Science Festival, a weeklong extravaganza that enabled the general public to explore science, from cutting-edge research to works in theater, film, and the arts inspired by scientific ideas. The hugely successful festival was held in New York City in 2008 and hosted more than 120,000 visitors.

Greene’s most recent book, “Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and The Deep Laws of the Cosmos, was published last month.

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

The public performance will be held Thursday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 425 Eastern Bypass. The program will include Dvorak Waltzes and Quintet for Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Double Bass, Op. 71. The principal bassist, Robert Oppelt, is a Richmond native.

Admission is $5 and tickets are available at the Richmond Area Arts Center in advance or at the door. For more information, call 859-624-4242, e-mail Debbie@artsinrichmond.org or visit www.artsinrichmond.org.

EKU Theatre joins forces with the Department of Music to present this chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barbarism and culinary crime. Featuring one of Sondheim’s most loved scores, “Sweeney Todd” tells the infamous tale of an unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th-century London seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife.

The musical thriller will be presented at 8 p.m. nightly Wednesday, Feb. 23, through Saturday, Feb. 26, and Sunday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. in the Gifford Theatre of the Campbell Building.

Tickets will be available at the Gifford Theatre Box Office, open noon to 4 p.m. weekdays, and one hour before each performance. Student and senior citizen (age 62 and older) tickets are $6 and adult tickets, $8. Cash and checks made payable to EKU are the only payment options. For reservations, call 622-1323.

The EKU squad lost a final tiebreaker for first place to two teams from Duke University, after meeting the first-place Duke team in the final round of the competition and splitting ballots with that team, winning one by nine and losing the other by three.

EKU, ranked 23rd nationally, finished ahead of teams from the University of Georgia, University of South Carolina, Miami University, Georgia Tech and Florida State University, among others.

Alexandra Sipes, Mt. Sterling, was one of seven student attorneys (out of approximately 150) honored for individual performance.

Other members of EKU’s third-place team are: James Pennington, Manchester; William Foster, Gilbertsville; Chloe Richardson, Orient, Ohio; Benica Triplet, Fulton; Stevie Meek, Grayson; Regina Lewis, Richmond; and Zachary Caldwell, Elizabethtown.

Coaches of the team are Sara Zeigler, Tom Parker and Lynnette Noblitt. Financial support is provided by the College of Justice & Safety, the College of Arts & Sciences, University Programs, the Department of Government, and Distinguished Alumnus Robert Sanders.

Next, EKU competes in a regional tournament hosted by the University of Cincinnati.

The Petrof piano factory was founded in 1864 in the Czech Republic and is Europe’s largest piano builder.

“A search of many months culminated in the selection of the Petrof product,” Rob James, chair of Eastern’s Department of Music, said. The pianos will be used in concert, practice and teaching events.

“The entire faculty of the Music Department is quite delighted with the addition of these fine pianos and we look forward to their contribution to our performance program,” he added.

“The highly regarded EKU music program will be the perfect venue for our pianos”, said Zuzana Petrof, fifth-generation Petrof CEO, “and I am so pleased at the establishment of this wonderful relationship.”

Al Rich, Petrof USA President, agreed, noting that “the EKU Music Department is one of the best and we are proud that our pianos will be a part of the education and performance experience of their talented students and faculty.”

Students from seven schools across the region will complete two tests – the AMC10 and AMC12 – in O’Donnell Hall in the Student Success Building (formerly the Student Services Building) from 10 to 11:15 a.m.

AMC is offered each spring by the Mathematics Association of America to students throughout the United States. The mission of the MAA competitions is to increase interest in mathematics and to develop problem solving through a fun competition. Teachers and schools benefit from the chance to challenge students with interesting mathematical questions that are aligned with curriculum standards at all levels of difficulty. In addition, students gain the opportunity to learn and achieve through competition with students in their school and around the world.

The AMC 12 covers high school mathematics, and is for students in high school who are under 19.5 years of age. The AMC 10 covers mathematics normally associated with grades 9 and 10 and is for students under 17.5 years of age who are not enrolled in grades 11, 12 or equivalent. Both contests are 25 questions in length, with approximately 12 questions in common to both contests.

Additional information on the competition is available at www.unl.edu/amc.