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Thursday, May 13, 2010
168 to graduate May 15 at Culver-Stockton
Culver-Stockton College will present diplomas to 168 students in ceremonies on Saturday, May 15. The 154th Annual Commencement will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Joe Charles Field House.
The commencement speaker will be R. Joseph Dieker, outgoing vice president for academic affairs and dean of Culver-Stockton College. He began at C-SC as an associate professor of music in 1989. In 2001, Dieker was promoted to chair of the Fine Arts Division, a position he held until 2004 when he was invited to serve as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. Dieker's 21 years at Culver-Stockton have included numerous leadership roles where he has been integral in the development of Culver-Stockton's strategic and campus master planning process as well as the development and implementation of the new curriculum, EXP@CSC, which effectively transformed all areas of the college's academic programs. The immersive and interactive nature of this curriculum has breathed new life into an already amazing learning environment. Dieker has had many awards, accolades and accomplishments during his time on the Hill and is respected and well known throughout the region as a talented conductor and clarinetist.
The student commencement speaker will be Neil Gau of Irondale, Mo., who will receive a bachelors of science degree in accounting and finance. Gau is the son of William and Debra Gau of Irondale, Mo. During the recent C-SC Honors Day Celebration, Gau received the Phi Eta Sigma Book Award as a senior with the highest grade point average over four years. He also received the J. David Bursewicz Senior Scholarship Award and the Wieseman Award for Outstanding Research Report or Writing Project in recognition of his academic achievements. Gau has been active in the C-SC Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) student chapter and has also participated in "Up 'til Dawn." Gau says some of his most cherished memories at C-SC are the experiences he had during the study abroad courses to China and the British Isles.
During commencement, Culver-Stockton also will announce and honor the faculty members who have been selected to receive the 2010 Reuling Prize and the 2010 Helsabeck Prize for Teaching Excellence. The Reuling Prize honors former C-SC president Walter S. Reuling who died in March 2008, and goes to a faculty member selected by his or her peers. The Helsabeck Prize is awarded annually to a faculty member selected by a committee of students, faculty and staff from submitted nominations. Both prizes honor teaching excellence.
Seating in the C-SC Charles Field House is on a first-come, first-served basis on May 15. Handicapped seating will be available, but those who need other special accommodations are asked to contact the Registrar's Office at 573-288-6330. A shuttle service will be available from parking lots at the Comfort Inn, County Market, and Nichols Field (baseball).
A continental breakfast will be available from 8 to 9:15 a.m. in the dining hall of the Gladys Crown Center. Following commencement, there will be a reception for graduates, families, and friends on the C-SC Quadrangle. In case of rain the reception will be held in the cafeteria located in the Gladys Crown Student Center.
Seniors also will be honored at other activities during the week. Pins will be presented to graduates of the nursing program, a partnership between Culver-Stockton College and the Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing, at 2 p.m., Friday, May 14, in Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy.
Baccalaureate is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 14, in Alexander Campbell Auditorium. Reverend Bill Spangler-Dunning is the featured baccalaureate speaker. Spangler-Dunning is originally from Ottumwa, Iowa. He graduated from Culver-Stockton College in 1990 with a bachelor of arts degree in religion and philosophy, after which he went on to graduate from the Lexington Theological Seminary. Rev. Spangler-Dunning was instrumental in creating connections between churches and was asked to serve as the associate regional minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Upper Midwest, where he now serves as the regional minister. Rev. Spangler-Dunning seeks to produce curriculum material that encourages youth and adults to think and share their faith convictions with passion without the need to condemn those who may have different theological understandings.
Connected Campus helps student fulfill life-long goal
Six students graduating this May through Culver-Stockton's Connected Campus program began as traditional residential students and, through life's twists and turns, left school but returned to complete their degrees through the program. Some students, like Andres Ayala, have already seen benefits from earning their bachelor's degree; he has been promoted. Others, like Kim Uhlig, have the simple, yet sweet personal satisfaction that being a college graduate brings. Nearly 30 years ago, Uhlig attended Culver-Stockton for two years before leaving to get married. She'd never stopped thinking about finishing her degree, but life seemed to always get in the way. "Due to my profession, I was unable to commit to a weekly class schedule - even if only one night a week," Uhlig explains. But she promised herself she would finish her degree. Ayala, who had attended as a residential student more recently, liked that he had a pre-established relationship with faculty. "It was beneficial to me to have professors like Jim Cosgrove instructing the Connected Campus program . . . I was familiar with [him] and fortunate to have a previous academic relationship with him and others." Dr. Cosgrove remembers working with Ayala both on campus and through the Connected Campus program. "The Connected Campus program offers such a tremendous opportunity to people like Andy who have family responsibilities and are busy professionals. Andy decided it was time to finish the requirements for his degree, and I am proud that Culver-Stockton was able to be a part of that process." The full story is available online.
Genomics student to represent C-SC at national research symposium
Gina Osburn, junior biology/pre-med major from Chatham, Ill., has been selected to represent Culver-Stockton College at the 2nd annual National Genomics Research Initiative (NGRI) symposium at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Farm Research Campus in Ashburn, Va., June 12 - 13. She was chosen by her peers and the course faculty to represent C-SC at the symposium "because of her understanding of the research project, her commitment to the project and her enthusiasm," said Dr. Indiren Pillay, associate professor of biology and chairperson of the Natural and Mathematical Sciences Division. Osburn will give an oral presentation on the isolation, identification, sequencing and annotation of the genomes of two mycobateriophages collected in Canton at the symposium. "I will also get to speak about my personal experiences with the project and how this project has added to my interest and outlooks in scientific research," added Osburn. In addition to being chosen to travel to the NGRI symposium this summer, Gina will also be completing an internship at the Simmons Cancer Institute at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Ill. During her internship Osburn will be conducting research on the Epstein-Barr virus, specifically working with the EBV BKRF4 protein and it's interactions with core histones. The full story is available online.
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