The plan, approved in February 2007 as part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaccreditation process, calls for the University to graduate “informed, critical and creative thinkers who communicate effectively.” It was created as part of a regional movement by the accrediting body to encourage campuses to embrace a student-learning focus that can be implemented campus-wide.

A celebration honoring the plan’s first five years will be held Feb. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in the Noel Studio and Grand Reading Room of Crabbe Library. Nearly 60 faculty/staff members will showcase strategies, projects or activities (such as learning strategies, assessment, pedagogy, classroom models, research, information literacy, creative/artistic design, and conference presentations) that have contributed to improving student learning centered on critical/creative thinking and communication (CCT&C). President Whitlock and Provost Vice will give brief remarks at 11:45 a.m. and refreshments will be provided.

The impact of the QEP has been felt by faculty, staff and students, according to Kate Williams, director of EKU’s Quality Enhancement Programs.

“By bringing such diverse groups together, the QEP has resulted in new friendships, collaborations, and all kinds of activities that not only improve student learning, but also strengthen our immediate community,” she said. “Students recognize that EKU is serious about their learning in a meaningful, holistic way that involves a focus on not only facts and figures, but how to promote good thinking and communication skills.”

The campus community has engaged in numerous activities, professional development, and assessment processes to work toward QEP student-learning goals during the last five years. Each consecutive year, more progress has been made and additional individuals and groups have demonstrated their commitment to improving student critical/creative thinking and communication.

“Although EKU has always placed importance on teaching students how to think critically and to communicate effectively, the QEP has given us a greater focus on these skills and has provided a common language for communicating across colleges and programs,” said Vice, who has been involved with QEP since serving on the initial QEP Committee and as a member of the Professional Development Subcommittee.

“QEP’s common language has become a bridge for students who complete General Education, where CCT&C skills are first introduced, and then transition into their major programs,” Vice added. “The degree programs then further develop these essential skills.

“The QEP has provided an important pathway for achieving our primary goal – to ensure that when our students graduate, they are prepared for success whether their goal is pursuing graduate education or entering a profession.”

One of the most significant accomplishments EKU has made is the integration of programmatic-level specific learning objectives for every area.

“The development of our new mission statement and the associated strategic directions are clear evidence that our QEP has become institutionalized,” Williams explained. “This kind of integration is what our accrediting body is looking for and I believe they will view our progress very favorably.”

While the Feb. 7 celebration will honor the accomplishments to date, QEP is not resting on its laurels.

“There is always more to do and room for improvement,” Williams said. “And we will continue to focus on activities that will continue this growth and development, as intended with the concept of the QEP.”

Williams added that all results to date indicate that QEP is on track for meeting its current intended goals and outcomes.

“We are seeing that EKU seniors are within national norms in critical thinking skills and score higher than EKU freshmen and we know that EKU students rate themselves higher than students at EKU benchmark institutions on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE),” she said. “We are looking at a wide variety of measures to gauge our successes, so much more data will be coming forward in the near future.”

While QEP continues to focus on improving student learning centered on CCT&C, the program is also looking to the future.

“In just a couple more years, we will begin discussions about a possible new student-learning focus,” Williams noted. “That process will take a couple of years of campus-wide discussions, just like was done in preparation for our 2007 approved theme. It will be an exciting time of reporting just how far we have come with our first QEP and where we want to focus next.”

A ceremony at 5 p.m. at the Keen Johnson Building will recognize the university’s first African American students, faculty, staff and student-athletes, who “paved the way for our diversity initiatives today,” according to Sandra Moore, associate provost for diversity planning at EKU. The event, which coincides with the campus observance of Black History Month, will begin with an unveiling of a commemorative display in front of the Keen Johnson Building and continue with a reception in Walnut Hall inside the building.

Speakers will include EKU President Doug Whitlock and Moore.

The university community and public are invited.

EKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), adopted in 2007, calls for the University to develop critical and creative thinkers who communicate effectively.

The book, “Putting It into Practice: Developing Student Critical Thinking Skills in Teacher Education – the Models, Methods, Experience and Results,” includes at least one chapter apiece from EKU faculty members Nina Coyer, Dr. Tammy Cranfill, Dr. Delinda Dent, Dr. Karen Maloley, Dr. Sue Mahanna-Boden, Dr. Diane Porter, and co-editors Dr. Debbie Haydon and Dr. Paula Jones. Also, Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul, originators of the Paul and Elder critical thinking model, contributed the forward to the book.

“Debbie and I both serve as QEP coaches and we currently serve faculty in learning more about the Paul and Elder Model and how to implement the model in their courses to develop students’ critical thinking skills,” Jones said. “Because of our experience as QEP coaches, we wanted to bring together faculty in the teacher education program/College of Education to look closely at how to implement the Paul and Elder model in their classes and begin to document the methods used to ‘teach’ students to think critically. This has truly been one of the most successful PLCs we have been a part of – and it was due to each member’s rich and continued contributions.”

Originally, the PLC was planned to be in place for one year, capped by a presentation at a regional conference in May 2010 on how members had utilized the Paul and Elder model in their courses.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum.

“Because of the success of our PLC and the community we had formed during that year, none of us wanted our PLC to end at the end of the spring 2010 term,” Jones said. “We found the opportunity to share our work and discuss methods, problems and solutions with colleagues to be very supportive and helpful. We talked about our desire to take our work to another level. We were just not sure what the next level might be.”

After several conversations, a book proposal was submitted to Information Age Publishing. In August 2010 the book proposal was approved and the PLC spent its second year finalizing the chapters for publication.

“One of the most important elements of this book is that it has been written for teachers by teachers,” Jones said. “As chapter authors and editors, we believe teachers, overall, want their students to understand their reasoning and to learn to think through content as a mode of reasoning. This book is devoted to sharing our teaching experiences in implementing a recognized critical thinking model in a teacher education program. We believe that teachers can benefit from the opportunity to see what other educators are doing in their classes to support students in thinking about their own thinking as well as thinking through content. We also hope that it brings some recognition to EKU and specifically to the efforts of Dean Bill Phillips, who supported the PLC for two years, and the College of Education faculty in supporting their students to think critically.”

The book is available through Information Age Publishing (www.infoagepub.com/products/Putting-It-into-Practice) and will be available at the QEP Showcase on Tuesday, Feb. 7, a five-year celebration of the QEP at Eastern.

The event, free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. It is sponsored by the Office of the Associate Provost for Diversity Planning, Department of Foreign Languages and Humanities, African/African-American Studies Program, and Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.

“African American history presents various approaches to the challenges of being black in America, from the days of slavery to the present time,” Rampersad said. “With reference to certain key figures in the past, including W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we will try to gauge the impact on the lives of African Americans — and others — of the problems associated with race in America.”

Rampersad was one of 10 individuals to receive the National Humanities Medal on March 2, 2011. The honor recognizes “individuals whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities and the human condition.”

In an interview with The Root online magazine after the receiving the prestigious award, Rampersad said he seeks in his writing “to illuminate the profound humanity of black Americans. It has always been my pleasure and my challenge to stick close to the facts of the situation, but also to bring out the depth and richness that is in African-American life.”

The Sara Hart Kimball Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at Stanford University, Rampersad is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including the two-volume “Life of Langston Hughes,” “The Art and Imagination of W.E.B. Dubois,” “Jackie Robinson: A Biography,” “Days of Grace: A Memoir” (co-authored with Arthur Ashe); and, most recently, “Ralph Ellison: A Biography,” a finalist for the National Book Award.

He also was co-editor of “Slavery and the Literary Imagination” and of the “Race and American Culture” book series.

Rampersad was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Biography, and he served for two years on the Pulitzer panel of judges.

He has taught at such leading universities as Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and Stanford and, from 1991 to 1996, held a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

For more information on the EKU Chautauqua lecture series, visit www.chautauqua.eku.edu or contact Director Dr. Minh Nguyen at minh.nguyen@eku.edu.

Moore was recognized by Minority Access for her exemplary achievements in expanding opportunities for others with the National Role Model Administrative Award. As Associate Provost for Diversity Planning, Moore assumes a leadership role in establishing policies and programs that are responsive to the University’s commitment to diversity and also serves as the primary advisor to the President, Provost and senior management on all matters related to the development of policies impacting diversity.

At the conference, EKU was honored as one of the colleges and universities committed to diversity and was also recognized as a Premier Minority Access Associate.

Draper, who along with 36 other students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctorate level competed for cash prizes ranging from $250 to $1,000, presented “Bridging the Gap Between Communication and African American Health Care.” The research showed methods of communication that would allow the African American community to become aware in order to prevent and help with health care issues, with a specialized emphasis on biomedical science in connection with environmental factors.

Students each presented on related topics of biomedical science, technology and other areas. All participants were presented with a certificate of participation. Moore served as Draper’s research sponsor.

Minority Access Inc.,a non-profit educational organization, aids colleges and universities in executing programs that enhance diversity in higher education and the professional and managerial employment of minorities. The annual National Role Models Conference allow for the successful interaction and mutual exchange among innovators, recruiters, researchers, faculty, administrators, students, mentors and alumni. In its 12th year, the conference has proven to be one of the most prestigious conferences of its type.

He will represent EKU alongside representatives from safety, health and environmental (SH&E) programs across the nation, including those at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, East Carolina University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Murray State University, West Virginia University, Walt Disney University and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“This is a great opportunity to get more involved with ASSE from all aspects,” English said. “My goal is to get EKU students to the Future Safety Leaders Conference, which will be held Nov. 7-9 this year in Schaumburg, Ill. This two-day conference, designed exclusively for ASSE student members, is created to prepare the future safety professional for the transition from student life to employment as a safety, health and environmental employee.”

Founded in 1911, the American Society of Safety Engineers is the oldest safety society and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. Its more than 33,000 occupational SH&E professional members manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and the environment in all industries, government and education.

The organization is guided by a 16-member Board of Directors, which consists of eight regional vice presidents; three council vice presidents; Society president, president-elect, senior vice president, vice president of finance and executive director. ASSE has 17 practice specialties, 151 chapters, 28 sections and 58 student sections.

The Academics Practice Specialty provides a global professional forum for advancing the academic issues that affect SH&E professionals through networking opportunities, technical resources and a common voice on issues. It promotes the advancement of SH&E education, fosters the well-being of its members and their academic programs and mentors students within their academic specialties. This practice specialty provides a collective influence on educational strategies and research, accreditation and professional certification as well as on national and international academic associations.

Additional EKU Safety, Security and Emergency Management faculty serving primary safety organizations are Ron Dotson, Kentucky Safety and Health Network Board; Tom Schneid, National Safety Management Society Board; and Michael Schumann, Institute for Safety and Health Management Board of Directors.

New features include 18 desktop computers – half with touch-screen technology – with extra outlets for simultaneously charging cell phones and other equipment, connections for laptops and 10 laptops available for checkout, and group study stations with large screen monitors and restaurant-style booth seating.

“The College of Justice & Safety, in particular Kerrie Moberly and Jennifer Goins, did an amazing job planning this space and I am so excited to be able to work in it,” Nicole Montgomery, J & S Learning Commons Team Leader, said. “With all the technology in place and as the print collection of new and core titles arrives on the shelves, it will be a space where students truly can research, write, create, and study with the technology, resources, and help that they need in one space.”

Located on the third floor of the Stratton Building, the Learning Commons features a group study room and other comfortable spaces for individual study. Representatives from Information Technology and the Libraries will be on hand to offer assistance during all hours the space is open.

Faculty, staff and students can see the renovated space, which opened earlier this semester, during an open house on Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. Tours will be offered and light refreshments will be provided.

J & S Learning Commons is open Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The renovation was made possible by EKU’s College of Justice & Safety.

The department will again sponsor the free eight-week program on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., beginning Feb. 9. Participants can attend Thursday and/or Friday. Applications are still being accepted (call 859-893-0653) for the free service, which is offered in Room 100 of the Dizney Building on EKU’s campus.

Master’s-level occupational therapy students, under the supervision of a faculty member certified in dementia care, provide one-on-one interaction with each participant. Activities, personalized to each participant, include crafts, physical activities, cooking, music and other forms of social interaction. Lunch is provided.

“The focus is on cognitive vitality,” said Katherine Nicholas, MS, OTR/L, the OT faculty member who coordinates the program. “We don’t have drugs to cure Alzhemier’s, but people who are challenged cognitively and who eat well are able to preserve their abilities longer.”

The research-based program employs the “Best Friends” approach advocated by well-known Alzheimer’s expert and author Virginia Bell, of Lexington. “That means to treat each person with dignity and respect, as though they are your best friend.”

The program utilizes life history as a gateway to communication and understanding, Nicholas said. “We believe that by understanding each person’s interests, routines, and past roles we can structure interesting, cognitively challenging activities and preserve the essence of individuality. One-to-one pairing with master’s-level occupational therapy students means each participant’s experience at The Place to Be is “tailor made”.

Another objective of the program is to preserve the participant’s self-esteem, to perhaps discover a newfound purpose in life. “They are able to have input into the next generation of occupational therapists,” Nicholas said. “For example, if the participant has a life story of teaching or as a pillar of the community, this can continue their lifelong history of giving to the community.”

Participants must be able to walk and engage in simple activities. Transportation to and from the site is not provided. Referrals from physicians and social workers are accepted, but not required. Some clients are already under Hospice care.

The respite the program provides the caregiver can also be valuable, Nicholas said. “This is an opportunity for them to restore their energy, run errands or have lunch with a friend.”

“Even if the client has not officially been diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s and the family needs a respite, he or she will be considered for the program,” Nicholas said.

The program also holds enormous benefits for the EKU graduate students.

“Some of our students have never experienced a friendship with an older person,” Nicholas said. “Most students are trained in hospitals where their concept of the elderly is a sick person. This gives them the concept of what a community-based health care model is like. They learn how to structure age-appropriate activities and learn how to preserve people’s skills, personality and essence of who they are.

“At the end of the semester, students will say they thought they were going to teach the clients ‘xyz’ but what they really learn about is life, love, and loss, and that loss has a beauty all its own.”

Nicholas, an occupational therapist who has taught at EKU for 15 years, is also a home health practitioner, a qualified dementia care specialist through the Alzheimer’s Foundation, and a certified gerontologist with the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky.

EKU’s graduate program in occupational therapy has been ranked among “America’s Best” by U.S. News & World Report, coming in at No. 24.

For additional information about The Place to Be or to register for the program, contact Katherine Nicholas at 859-893-0653.

Facts About Alzheimer’s Disease

• Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible degeneration of the brain that causes disruptions in memory, cognition, personality, and other functions that eventually leads to death from complete brain failure.
• More than 5 million (5.4 million) Americans age 65 and older are thought to have Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, the number of Americans with this disease could increase to more than 15 million.
• The national cost of Alzheimer’s disease (in people over 65 years old) was $183 billion in 2011, and by 2050 it will be $1.1 trillion.
• One person in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease approximately every 69 seconds.
• It is estimated that almost 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer's disease will be diagnosed this year.
• According to data from the CDC, in 2010, more than 82,000 deaths were recorded as being caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
• Worldwide, nearly 36 million people are believed to be living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. That number is projected to increase to 65.7 million by 2030 and 115.4 million by 2050.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
• By 2048, 1 in 45 people may be living with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alzheimer’s disease usually begins after age 60 and risk increases with age. Younger people in their 30s, 40s and 50s may get Alzheimer’s disease, but it is rare.
• Approximately 5 percent of all cases of Alzheimer’s disease are believed to be familial (hereditary). In familial cases, often called early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms typically appear within the age range of 30-60 years.
• It is estimated that more than one in three Americans 85 years and older have Alzheimer's disease.
• The lifetime risk of Alzheimer’s disease among those who reached the age of 65 is approximately 1 in 5 for women and 1 in 10 among men.
• People with poor vision that did not visit an ophthalmologist for treatments had a 9.5-fold increased risk of dementia when followed over an 8.5-year period.
• Death from Alzheimer’s disease is often underreported or misdiagnosed.
• Alzheimer’s disease represents around 70 percent of all cases of dementia, making it the most common cause of dementia.
• Approximately 5.1 million Americans are age 85 years or older, and this age group is one of the fastest growing segments of the population. It is also the group with the highest risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that at least 19 million people will be age 85 and older by the year 2050.
• Common symptoms include: disturbances in memory, attention, and orientation, changes in personality, language difficulties, and impairments in gait and movement.
• On average, patients with Alzheimer’s disease live for 8 to 10 years after diagnosis, but this fatal disease can last as long as 20 years, or as little as 3-4 years if the patient is more than 80 years old when diagnosed.
• Currently, the only way to definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s disease is to physically examine the brain through autopsy.
• Approximately 70 percent of Alzheimer’s disease patients receive care at home.
• In terms of health care expenses and lost wages of both patients and their caregivers, the cost of Alzheimer's disease nationwide is estimated at $100 billion per year.
• Nearly half of all nursing home residents have Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder.
• The average hourly service cost for home health aides is $21 per hour.
• The average annual cost for an assisted living facility is $37,572.
• For a person with Alzheimer’s disease, the annual cost of a room in an Alzheimer’s special care unit is estimated in the range of $214 and $239 per day or $77,998 and $87,362 per year, for a semi-private or private room, respectively.
• For a person with Alzheimer's disease, the annual cost of home care is estimated at $76,000, including medical expenses and indirect costs such as a caregiver's time and lost wages.
• The care of an Alzheimer’s patient, viewed as custodial care, is not covered by Medicare and most health insurance plans.
• In the absence of disease, the human brain often can function well into the 10th decade of life.
• 58 percent of people with dementia worldwide live in low or middle income countries. One third of those whose lives have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease provide support to their loved ones.
• Of those providing financial support to someone with Alzheimer’s, the average amount is $200 per month. Those providing caregiving support give the average amount of 16 hours a month.
• Among those who do not personally have Alzheimer’s disease, one third worry about getting Alzheimer’s. Those who have a parent or parent-in-law with the disease are even more concerned..
• Roughly half of all caregivers are between the ages of 18 and 49, with the average age of the typical caregiver being 48.
• Nearly 2 in 10 Americans believe they know someone with Alzheimer’s disease who has not sought diagnosis/treatment.

Directed by Dr. Connie Rhoades, EKU’s Clarinet Choir was chosen from hundreds of applicants from around the world. After submitting a recorded performance, the group was selected by the ICA’s panel, becoming the only university clarinet choir accepted to perform at the “Heritage to Horizon” ClarinetFest.

Clarinet ensembles from Chicago, Houston, Scotland and around the world will be performing during the conference, and master classes and exhibits will be held for the several thousand attendees.

EKU’s Clarinet Choir will perform four pieces during its half-hour performance slot, including the world premiere of “Jubilation,” an original composition by EKU faculty member Dr. Richard Byrd. Other pieces may include “Fandango” by Frank Perkins, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by J.S. Bach and “Monochrome III” by Peter Schickele. The Clarinet Choir will perform its ICA program at its campus concert in Gifford Theater on Thursday, April 26, at 8 p.m.

The group is composed of 12 EKU students: Shelby Carter, Boston, Ky.; James Evans, Lebanon; Samantha Harris, Berea; Zachary Lowery, Covington; Kelsey Underwood, Louisville; Chris Brock, Richmond; Sarah Barnhill, George Patti, Megan Scholer, Florence; Jessica Delaney, Maura Adamson and Rebecca Sepulveda, Lexington.

Rhoades, who was also invited to perform as a soloist at the conference, said: “These students have never been to ClarinetFest, and I am excited for them to experience it all; to hear other professional clarinetists from around the world, and attend the master classes and exhibits. It will be an excellent experience for everyone.”

Students in Accounting 322 (Income Tax) will provide two levels of free service: income tax preparation service and free assisted self-service tax preparation (FAST).

Dr. Trish Isaacs, associate professor in EKU’s Department of Accounting, Finance and Information Systems, explained the income tax preparation service is the traditional IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) service.

In the VITA program, student volunteers will meet face-to-face with taxpayers to prepare tax returns for electronic filing.

The FAST program, recently introduced by the IRS, “is a good option for taxpayers who would like to complete their own simple returns online, but would also like the additional support of having someone available to answer questions as they complete their returns, or perhaps simply need access to a computer,” Isaacs said.

Both services are available to anyone in Richmond and Madison County who qualifies, and to EKU students, faculty and staff as well, Isaacs added.

The EKU students will be available in Room 269 (The Business Library and Academic Commons) of the Business and Technology Center (adjacent to the EKU Center for the Arts) on the following four dates:

• Friday, Feb. 24, 1-4 p.m.
• Monday, Feb. 27, 5-8 p.m.
• Friday, March 16, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Monday, April 2, 5-8 p.m.

Appointments can be scheduled through the United Way of the Bluegrass by calling 2-1-1; walk-ins are also welcome. Clients should bring the following information to the site:

Clinic participants will have the opportunity to interact with and play for Marsalis and the Orchestra. Tickets for non-clinic participants wishing to attend the masterclass are available in advance (858-622-SHOW) or at the door for $20 apiece. Tickets for that evening’s public concert by Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are available at ekucenter.com or by calling the EKU Center for the Arts at 859-622-SHOW (7469).

The Honors Band Clinic is expected to bring approximately 400 guest students, teachers and clinicians from a multi-state area for a weekend of rehearsals, concerts, masterclasses and clinics. Participants are expected from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio and West Virginia.

On Friday evening, Feb. 24, the University Concert Band and University Wind Symphony will present a special posthumous tribute to Charles F. Campbell, a 1962 EKU graduate who went on to become “a legend among Kentucky band directors,” according to Dr. Joe Allison, director of bands at Eastern and clinic director.

Campbell, who passed away in 2011, directed bands at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester and East Hardin and North Hardin high schools in Elizabethtown during a 31-year career. The former Kentucky High School Music Teacher of the Year was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association. Also, Allison noted, “each performing ensemble at the clinic (high school and college) will feature a guest conductor who has significant history” with Campbell, including J. Larry Moore, Brian Froedge, John Stroube and Jack Walker.

The Campbell tribute, free and open to the public, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at the EKU Center for the Arts.

The Concert Band, directed by Ken Haddix, will spotlight clarinetist Dr. Connie Rhoades of the EKU music faculty in Scott McAllister’s contemporary work “Black Dog.” The Wind Symphony, conducted by Allison, will feature Dr. Richard Waters, EKU’s new director of choral activities, conducting “The Seal Lullaby,” a recent composition by Eric Whitacre.

In addition, the guest high school honor groups will perform a free concert at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, in Brock Auditorium.

For more information about the Honors Band Clinic at EKU, call 859-622-3266 or e-mail Katherine Williams at katherine.williams@eku.edu.

For more information about the EKU Center for the Arts, visit ekucenter.com.

Competing against all of Kentucky's university newspapers, The Eastern Progress won first-place awards for Best News Story, Best Feature Story, Best Headlines, and Best Editorial Page. The newspaper also won two second-place awards for Best Editorials and Best Extended News Coverage. The Progress also won a third-place award for General Excellence.

The newspaper's editor-in-chief, Taylor Pettit, of Landing, N.J., took home three awards: for news reporting, investigative reporting and extended news coverage. Managing Editor Seth Littrell, of Independence, won awards for editorial writing and extended news coverage, and Features Editor Adam Turner, of Louisa, won awards for headline writing and for best features page.

First-place awards for the Progress were: Best News Story, Pettit; Best Feature Story, Morgan Caldwell, Prestonsburg; Best Headlines, Turner; and Best Editorial Page, Kaylia Cornett, Morehead.

Second-place awards went to Littrell, Best Editorial; and Pettit, Littrell and Darren Zancan, Chicago, Ill., Best Extended News Coverage.

Third-place awards for the Progress were: Best Investigative Story, Pettit; Best Feature Photograph, Trey Burke, Woodstock, Va.; Best Sports Section, Ryan Alves, Lawrenceburg, Tyler Miller, Georgetown, and Zancan; Best Lifestyle (Features) Page, Turner, Jaclyn May, Richmond; and General Excellence, Progress staff.

The show, a joint production with the Department of Music, will run at 8 p.m. nightly Wednesday, Feb. 22, through Saturday, Feb. 25, with a matinee Sunday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. in Gifford Theatre in the Jane F. Campbell Building.

The comedy by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin is a musical production focusing on middle-school-aged misfits who are participating in a spelling bee. Each participant has a need to win, and the play travels through each character’s journey to realize self-worth.

Tickets will be available at the Gifford Theatre Box Office, open noon-4 p.m. on weekdays, 7-7:50 p.m. on performance nights, and 1-1:50 p.m. for the Sunday matinee. This show is not recommended for younger audiences. Tickets are $6 for students and senior citizens, $8 for other adults. Call 622-1323 for reservations.

Students attending were Scott Benjamin, agribusiness management major from Bethel, Ohio; Michael Bailey, agriculture major from Stanford; Jennifer Bellaw, livestock production and dairy herd management major from Middletown, Ohio; Katie Goggin Banks, agribusiness management major from Danville; Nathaniel Keith, livestock production major from Berea; and Daniel Padgett, agribusiness management major from Waynesburg. They were accompanied by Dr. Ed Fredrickson of the EKU faculty.

While at the IPE, students had the opportunity to see the newest technology available to the poultry industry, network with other students and industry representatives, and interview for positions with several agricultural companies and organizations through the College Student Career Program.

Students participating in the College Student Career Program submit resumes that are distributed to companies participating in the program. Employers contact students and schedule interviews for positions or internships during the expo. Many EKU students have secured valuable internships or jobs through participation in the program.

IPE, the world's largest trade show for the poultry and egg industry, is also the primary source of funding for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the world's largest and most active poultry organization. Membership includes producers and processors of broilers, turkeys, ducks, eggs, and breeding stock, as well as allied companies. Formed in 1947, the association has affiliations in 27 states and member companies worldwide and represents its poultry and egg members through research, education, communications and technical services. Funds earned at the Expo are funneled directly back into the industry in the form of research grants, educational programs, communications, and technical assistance.

What does Special Collections and Archives offer to the University in terms of historical value?
The holdings of Special Collections and Archives consist of collections of historical documents as well as collections of rare books and books of Kentuckiana. We also serve as the repository for the university’s records. One of our largest collections is the papers of Carl D. Perkins, U.S. congressional representative of Kentucky’s seventh district from 1949 to 1984. We have papers preserving various aspects of the history of Madison County, of our service region, of Kentucky, and sometimes, as in the case of an 1850s gold rush diary, of the nation. Our rare book collection is quite diverse – volumes range from a 1624 edition of Plutarch in Greek and Latin to recent publications about eastern Kentucky. Our university records include the papers of the school’s presidents (beginning with President Coates), Board of Regents minutes, and comparable documents.

What are the services most frequently used by visitors?
Students use many of our resources for historical research. Sometimes they research campus buildings; other times they delve into local and regional history where they can draw upon our primary sources. Faculty tap into our resources for their research, ranging from scholarly articles about eastern Kentucky to articles about the Civil War for a general audience. Our non-university visitors, often from out of state, use our genealogical resources, or research an aspect of history. For example, two graduate students from California came here to listen to some of our oral history tapes as part of their dissertation research on coal mining. Early this year we had a visitor from Alabama researching his ancestors. We also receive requests for scans of images from our collections. One of these requests came from China!

Special Collections and Archives recently expanded the hours it is open to the public. Why was that done?
In reviewing information gathered last fall about our visitors, the Special Collections and Archives team realized that some of our visitors would like to come during the afternoon and stay until early evening. We had also offered extended hours one evening a week years ago and that service had been successful at that time, so we decided we would reinstate one evening of later hours. Our current hours are 8 to 5 all week except Thursday, when we are open from 8 to 8. (We are closed on the weekends.)

What collections and items in Archives might surprise a visitor?
Nearly all of our collections contain surprises. In our manuscript collections we have discovered we have letters from Ulysses S. Grant. Our rare books include History of the Indian Tribes of North America by Thomas McKenney and James Hall, published in 1858. The illustrations in this three volume work are gorgeous. In our collection of oral histories is an interview with Malcolm Kilduff, who was assistant press secretary during the Kennedy administration and who announced Kennedy’s death to the public. Finally, we do have some EKU items that can delight our visitors, such as a painting of the campus canine mascot Mozart and the loving cup presented to Mary Roark by a grateful campus community at the conclusion of her tenure as acting president of Eastern Kentucky State Normal School in 1910.

In recent years, many holdings are also available to view on the Web. What are some of the collections available online and what are the benefits for Special Collections and Archives and its patron?
Some university papers and publications have been digitized and have been made available in Encompass, EKU’s digital archive -- see “University Publications” on the Encompass website (encompass.eku.edu/upubs. The university yearbook, The Milestone, is available with several other university publications in Internet Archives at www.archive.org/details/easternkentuckyuniversity. Users find photographs of interest in the collection through a substantial image database that has been developed over the years and continues to grow as we add more content. The current Web address for the image database is www.library-old.eku.edu/new/content/archives/imagedb.php .

The main benefit of having our collections available online is, quite simply, world wide access at any time of day or night to these unique materials.

What are some plans for the future?
The staff of Special Collections – Jackie Couture, Debbie Whalen, and I, plus our student workers – is working towards making more and more of our collections accessible online. We are currently migrating our data from one website to another, and, included in that migration, is a content management system called Archon that will make our collections more easily searchable. We hope to make other materials, such as our oral histories, available online in the next few years. We are also planning to create more displays for people to see when visiting the library. We currently have a display of Valentines from our collections; the display was created by one of our student workers. We are beginning to develop other display themes for this year, and one of these will be a commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.