“It is my intention as president, and our intention as a university, to make sure that no student is ever turned away for financial reasons,” Glasser said. “Because 21st Century Kentuckians are looking for the light and hope that only educational opportunities can bring, we are proud to unveil today the EKU BEACON Program.”

The initiatives of the program include:

• EKU Regional Scholars are full-tuition scholarships for those full-time, first-year students from EKU’s 22-county primary service region. Students must have completed a college prep curriculum and meet certain academic and family income requirements. This scholarship will assist the neediest students in the University’s primary service region, which covers Southeastern Kentucky and parts of Central Kentucky. According to Glasser, the University plans to offer 375 scholarships this coming year and more than 1,000 by 2010-11.

“We can not and must not turn our backs on the greatest need of our service region — quality higher education at an affordable cost,” Glasser said.

“Yes, we want to be a university of national distinction, but first and foremost, we want to be a source of regional pride — a place where students are encouraged and assisted in their pursuit of a better life. The Commonwealth can only advance as quickly as Southeastern Kentucky moves forward, and we want to be that catalyst.”

• As an incentive to attract more students into science- and math-related professions and meet a critical state and national need, the University will support 22 BEACON Scholars. These scholars, one from each of EKU’s primary service region counties, will have demonstrated overall academic excellence throughout their high school curricula and will have chosen study in the fields of mathematics and/or science. The academic requirements to qualify as a BEACON Scholar are rigorous, as are the requirements to retain status as a BEACON Scholar. Students will be provided tuition, housing, board and books.

“As the importance of technology has increased in recent years, the number of young people interested in math and science has actually declined,” Glasser said. “The BEACON scholarship initiative will complement two bills before the General Assembly this session designed to reverse that dangerous trend and move math and science education in our high schools forward. As a Commonwealth, we simply must take bold action now to better prepare our young people to succeed in a high-tech, knowledge-based world.”

Glasser said that over time, as the BEACON Scholars program becomes established, it is hoped that more students will be inspired to enter these important fields of study, and the University can respond with additional BEACON Scholar awards.

• A Scholastic Opportunity Grant for those first-time, full-time undergraduates whose family income falls at 150 percent or below the national poverty level. The grant will provide the differential between the direct costs of tuition, housing and books, and federal and state grants. The University, said Glasser, anticipates providing 500 of these grants this coming year and as many as 2,000 by 2010-11.
• Scholarships for students who transfer from a KCTCS institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 through at least 24 hours of course work. EKU plans to award 200 of these half-tuition scholarships this coming academic year and raise that to 350 by 2010-11. Last year, in order to provide a more seamless transition to Eastern, the University opened the first transfer center at a college or university in the Commonwealth.
• The fifth and final initiative is the “Cover to Cover” program that will provide a textbook allowance of up to $800 per year for 300 qualified students this coming year and up to 1,200 by 2010-11. This is targeted at those students who do not receive textbook assistance through the Scholastic Opportunity Grant, but who have demonstrated financial need.

For more information on the BEACON program, persons may contact the EKU Office of Financial Affairs at 622-2361. Those wishing to apply must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The priority date for completing the FAFSA is March 15, 2007 and each subsequent year by March 15.

The African-American Read-in, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 5, in the Crabbe Library Café, is co-sponsored by EKU Libraries and the University’s African/African-American Studies Program.

The event will feature a guest presentation by poet David Deskins from 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to read 3- to 5-minute excerpts from their favorite work by an African-American writer. Participants will be able to arrive and leave as their schedules permit.

To register, visit www.library.eku.edu and check under News & Events, or call Leah Banks at 622-1797. Walk-in readers are also welcome; excerpts will be made available at the check-in desk.

Additional Black History Month events, sponsored by the African/African-American Studies Program and other campus offices, include:

Feb. 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., “Bob Marley: Reggae as Social Commentary,” presented by Dr. Ezra Engling, chair of EKU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Humanities, in the EKU Teaching and Learning Center, located in the Keen Johnson Building;

Feb. 7-8, Diversity Conference, Perkins Building, sponsored by EKU, the Southeast/Southcentral Educational Cooperative, the Center for Renewal of Schools and the Education Professions, the Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children, the EKU Office of Enrollment and Management, AmeriCorps and the Kentucky Department of Education, designed for P-12 public school teachers, counselors and administrators; college and university faculty, staff and students; and educators and staff in the KECSAC programs, conference fee is $175 per person for those registering Jan. 20-27, for more information or registration materials, contact Tom Bonny at 622-8330 or tom.bonny@eku.edu;

Feb. 13, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., “Vital Conversations: One Man’s Perspective on Diversity,” EKU alumnus J.H. Atkins, assistant vice president and associate professor of education at Centre College, Regents Dining Room, co-sponsored by Real Men;

Feb. 16, 1:30-3 p.m., “Examining the Roots of African-American Art,” Dr. Gay Sweely, assistant professor of art and design, EKU, and Gwen Graham, an EKU graduate student planning to teach art, Teaching Learning Center, Keen Johnson Building;

Feb. 20, 7 p.m., “Cooptation of the N-Word,” Bryant Smith, O’Donnell Hall (Student Services Building Auditorium), sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Students;

Feb. 22, 1:30-3 p.m., “Affirmative Action and the Politics of Access to Higher Education in Nigeria and the United States,” Dr. Ogechi Anyanwu, assistant professor, EKU Department of History, Teaching Learning Center, Keen Johnson Building, co-sponsored by the History Department;

Feb. 24, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., educational/cultural trip to Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, (reservations required; call the AFA office at 859-622-8676 for more information);

Feb 26, 1-3 p.m., “African-American Families: Historically Resilient,” Dr. Aaron Thompson, associate vice president for University Programs, EKU, Teaching Learning Center, Keen Johnson Building.

For more information, contact Dr. Salome C. Nnoromele, African/African-American Studies Program, Keith 125/6, 622-8676, afastudies@eku.edu or salome.nnoromele@eku.edu.

Thompson, who graduated from Eastern in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology, also holds master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Kentucky.

The nationally innovative program is geared to those who have doubts about leaving their current job behind to return to college for a second degree. It allows participants to gauge their comfort level as a classroom teacher before making a life-changing career move.

The program, funded by a $175,000 grant from Ashland Inc., attracted 10 participants in 2006. Each spent two weeks in a K-12 classroom, gaining first-hand experience as they assisted in the preparation and execution of lesson plans while learning successful educational practices from their teaching mentors.

Several from the inaugural group have decided to enter EKU’s Master’s in Teaching Program, which prepares and certifies individuals who hold non-teaching baccalaureate degrees, according to Dr. Cynthia Resor, coordinator of the MAT program and director of the “Try Teaching” program.

Tina McLane, of Winchester, a 2006 participant called the experience her “vocation vacation. I was finally able to decide on this change in my career.”

Cathi Blair, another 2006 participant who starts the MAT program this month, said, “I knew that it was right for me as soon as I stood up in front of the class. I think there are some good potential teaching candidates out there who just need the opportunity to ‘try teaching.’”

Resor said one significant change in the program this year is that participants will have the option of one- or two-week placements. Participants are placed in elementary, middle and high schools throughout central and southeastern Kentucky, as close to home as possible.

In addition to classroom time with their mentoring teacher, “Try Teaching” participants will spend time with a university-level educator to learn more about certification procedures, the teaching profession and career benefits.

EKU officials hope the program will help address a teacher shortage in Kentucky. The shortage of qualified mathematics, science, special education and foreign languages is especially acute, Resor said.

“We need to be looking at alternate avenues for drawing qualified men and women from various backgrounds into the teaching field,” Resor said.

EKU College of Education faculty and school district administrators are working together to identify outstanding K-12 educators who will host participants in their classrooms. The host teachers will then be trained in effective mentoring techniques.

A preliminary screening will pre-qualify participants and reduce the risk that a participant would be ineligible for the MAT program. Those interested in the “Try Teaching” program will be asked to assemble educational transcripts, a professional resume and letters of recommendation, and will be interviewed to assess their overall disposition to teach. Also, before introducing anyone into a classroom setting, EKU will complete “stringent” state and federal background checks on all program candidates.

The application deadline this year is May 15. Because the number of participants will be limited, Resor suggested that interested individuals contact her as soon as possible at 622-2165 or at cynthia.resor@eku.edu. More information is available at www.tryteaching.eku.edu.

The McBrayer fund, which honors the long-time men’s basketball coach at Eastern, provides ongoing financial resources to support scholarships for deserving first-year freshmen, with preference given to relatives of former players, trainers, equipment managers and others who were associated with Coach McBrayer. Students receiving the scholarships are recognized as Paul S. McBrayer Scholars.

“We are most grateful for the lifelong commitment of Coach and Katy McBrayer to the University and our students,” said EKU President Joanne Glasser. “Their considerable legacy will live on in the lives of all the deserving students who will benefit from the educational opportunities this scholarship provides.”

Paul McBrayer coached at EKU from 1946 to 1962. His teams compiled 218 victories, more than any other coaching era in the institution’s history; captured several Ohio Valley Conference championships; and brought national acclaim to Eastern. Former players and friends continue to gather annually to honor McBrayer, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the OVC Hall of Fame.

As evidence of his commitment to academics, only one of his lettermen in 16 years failed to graduate.

Coach McBrayer, an All-American player at the University of Kentucky, died in 1999. EKU’s basketball arena is named in his honor.

Katie McBrayer, who passed away in 2005, attended Eastern and later worked at the University in the business administration office and athletics department.

Contributions to the Paul S. McBrayer Endowed Scholars Fund may be made to the Division of University Development, CPO 19A, Jones 324, Eastern Kentucky University, 521 Lancaster Ave., Richmond, Ky., 40475-3102.

The Eastern squad finished behind only a team from the University of Maryland. Other universities sending teams to the Classic were Air Force, University of Colorado, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Gonzaga University, and the University of California-Irvine, among others.

EKU’s Kristeena Winkler, Richmond, was the top-scoring attorney in the tournament. Other members of the EKU team are Andrew Trice, Highland Heights; Dale Perry, Frankfort; Casey Gevedon, Berea; and Katrina Winkler, Xochi Weiss-Salinas and Ruben Salinas, all of Richmond.

“This is the highest award bestowed to professionals in the Southern District of AAHPERD,” said Bill Dickens, president of the organization.

The award recognizes professionals who by their leadership and work made an outstanding and noteworthy contribution to advancement in their field.

Davis earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education at Morehead State University. He also holds a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Indiana and a doctorate in exercise physiology from Louisiana State University.

AAHPERD was founded in 1885 to promote and support creative and healthy lifestyles through high quality programs in health physical education, recreation, dance and sport. The organization is divided into six districts and has over 25,000 members.

The event, sponsored by the EKU Women’s Studies Program, will be held in O’Donnell Hall in the Student Services Building. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission. The doors open each night at 7:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center.

The play was written by Eve Ensler, who interviewed women all over the world about their relationships with their body. The script, which also deals with sexual abuse and rape, contains graphic language and explicit subject matter. For more information call 622-2913.

Brown, who has lived for some 25 years on a farm in the Paint Lick area, has taught creative writing and American literature since 1970 at EKU, where he has also co-directed seminars funded by the Kentucky Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, directed the Summer Creative Writing Conference, and served as poetry editor for Scripsit and The Chaffin Journal. Since retiring, he continues to teach two classes at the University.

His most recent book, “Felt Along the Blood: New and Selected Poems,” from Wind Publications, features poetry from four previous volumes: “Paint Lick Idyll and Other Poems,” “Measuring Man and Other Poems,” “Ego’s Eye and Other Poems,” and “Everything Is Its Opposite and Other Poems,” as well as some selected new works.

His poem “Felt Along the Blood – A Triptych” won Kentucky Poetry Review’s Blaine R. Hall Award; Green’s Magazine awarded his poem “In Deed and Truth” the Warren Keith Wright Prize; and the Mary Anderson Center for the Arts made Brown the first recipient of the Mary Anderson Senior Fellowship.

A native of Baltimore, Brown earned a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College and a master’s degree from Appalachian State University – both in English. In 1971, he received a Ph.D. in English from Ohio University.

Currently he is working on another collection of poems, tentatively titled, “In Some Households the King is Soul: Poems.”

The groups will be conducted by Jason Koontz, director of percussion studies, and Rob James, chair and professor of music at EKU.

KMEA is an organization consisting of over 2,000 kindergarten through university level music educators who are dedicated to teaching music education to Kentucky children.

The March 1 workshop, “A Framework for Understanding Poverty,” is sponsored by the EKU College of Education and will feature Dr. Rita Pierson of Houston, Texas.

A professional educator since 1972, Pierson has served numerous roles, including elementary regular and special education teacher, junior high school teacher, counselor, assistant principal, director, testing coordinator, and consultant. In addition, she is a licensed professional counselor. Pierson has also developed and implemented a school/community involvement program for a large urban elementary school, as well as organized and trained an in-school crisis team for students in need of immediate intervention.

The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Perkins Building on the EKU campus. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. The cost is $25 per person. Lunch will be provided. To register, contact Tom Bonny at tom.bonny@eku.edu, or 622-8330.

Virginia Falkenberg
Professor of Psychology

Historically speaking, what has SACS meant to the improvement of higher education throughout the region?
SACS represents the desire of the colleges and universities in the region to engage in self-regulation of acceptable standards of education, rather than be subjected to regulation from the outside. All of the decisions of the Commisssion on Colleges are the product of evaluation and judgments by a community of peers that are dedicated to the improvement of the educational process in this country.

What is the importance of reaffirmation of our SACS accreditation? To our students and prospective students? To the general public?
The most important outcome of our reaffirmation of accreditation rests in the opportunity to engage in significant self-evaluation each decade and to focus on the enhancement of our educational programs. This means that we will be a better institution as a whole and that the students and prospective students can expect to receive greater educational opportunities at EKU. The federal government uses a college or university's accreditation as a basic requirement for providing any federal financial aid to the students attending that institution.

What are some significant ways the review process has changed over the years?
Probably the most significant change over the years has been reflected in the movement from the application of minimal standards to the demonstration of the active application of quality enhancement in all institutions. Philosophically, this change is based on the conviction that even the best college or university can be better and should always be trying to improve. If an institution meets every other standard and requirement and fails to present an acceptable QEP, the institution cannot be reaffirmed until an acceptable QEP is provided. The development of the QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan) is judged in relation to each institution individually. An acceptable QEP must be specific to the nature and current environment of the institution and it may not be appropriate for another institutuion. This is why our QEP Committee has actively sought so much involvement of faculty and staff in the development of EKU's QEP.

Looking back on your own involvement with SACS through the years, what amidst all the hard work are your fondest memories?
My fondest memories have to be the six years as a Commissioner. The people with whom I had the opportunity to serve became good friends as well as colleagues.

Blythe, Hal, and Sweet, Charlie. “Getting Class Started,” TL Writing Consortium, Jan. 22, 2007, tlwritingconsortium-bounces@lists.wku.edu.

Blythe, Hal, and Sweet, Charlie. “Using Active Learning to Teach Hawthorne’s ‘My Kinsman, Major Molineux,’” Eureka Studies In Teaching Short Fiction, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Fall 2006), pgs. 6-16, 123-124.

Blythe, Hal, and Sweet, Charlie. “Willa Cather’s ‘Paul’s Case’ and Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye,” Notes on Contemporary Literature, Vol. 37, No. 1 (2007), pgs. 10-11.

Cordner, Gary. “[Book review of] Leadership in the LAPD: Walking the Tightrope by Renford Reese,” Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Summer 2006), pgs. 137-140.

Cordner, Gary. People With Mental Illness, Problem-Oriented Guides for Police: Problem-Specific Guides Series, No. 40, Washington, D.C.: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2006.

Cordner, Gary. “Police Services,” Managing Local Government Services: A Practical Guide, Ed., by Carl W. Stenberg and Susan Lipman Austin, Washington, .DC.: International City Management Association, 2007, pgs. 313-339.

Cordner, Gary, and Scarborough, Kathryn E. “Science Solves Crime: Myth or Reality,” Demystifying Crime and Criminal Justice, Ed., by Robert M. Bohm and Jeffery T. Walker, Los Angeles, Calif.: Roxbury Publishing Company, 2006, pgs. 104-110.

Davis, Rita, and Jones, Paula. “Instructional Design Methods Integrating Instructional Technology,” Handbook of Research on Instructional Systems and Technology, Ed., by Terry T. Kidd and Holim Song, Hershey, Pa.: Idea Group, 2007 [Forthcoming].

Jones, Paula; Kolloff, Mary Ann; and Kolloff, Fred. “Establishing Teacher Presence in an Online Course with Videos: The Student Perspective,” Sloan-C Conference, November 2006.

Jones, Paula; Kolloff, Mary Ann; and Kolloff, Fred. “Humanizing and Establishing Presence in an Online Course: The Role of Introductory Videos in Distance Learning,” E-Learn World Conference, October 2006.

Myers, C.T.; O’Brien, S.P.; Pierce, D.; and Thompson, M. “Using Occupation By Design to Synthesize Across Multiple Models for Services to Children and Families,” Occupational Therapy Models for Intervention with Children and Families, Ed., by S. Dunbar, Thorofare, N.J.: Slack, 2007 [Forthcoming].

Myers, Marshall. “Lincoln, the Law, and a Lady: A Kentucky Connection,” Back Home in Kentucky, Vol. 30, No. 1 (January/February 2007), pgs. 36-37.

Naugle, Kim, and Jones, Paula. “Video Enhancement of Web Based Instruction in Counseling: Methods and Reasons for Establishing Teacher Presence with Introductory Videos in Online Counseling Education Courses,” Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Conference, Orlando, Fla., September 2006.