The Quad

HSCP Summer Workshop

A&S faculty coordinators at the HS/CP Summer Workshop

The High School/College Partnership (HS/CP) dual credit program has grown from having two faculty members and serving two high schools in 1979 to now serving 65 schools and having as faculty more than 220 Master Teachers. Another 40 high school faculty are currently enrolled in graduate course work at UMKC and MU to qualify to teach UMKC courses in their high schools for dual credit. HS/CP currently offers more than 90 courses in 19 disciplines and, in AY 2008-09, more than 4,700 different students took HS/CP courses.

Three women have served as directors: Anna Larkin (1979-2004), Tammy Green (2004-2006), and Lynne Clawson-Day (2006-present). Curators Distinguished Teaching Professor Charles Wurrey (Chemistry) was instrumental in getting the program started.

The program brings more than 5,000 students to campus each year for competitions, workshops and guest lectures. One such event was the Foreign Language Fair held on October 6, 2009 – the 11th in the yearly series.

• HS/CP was the first accredited program in Missouri. To see what accrediting requires, go to http://nacep.org

The Foreign Language Fair hosts high school students from the KC metro area who come to UMKC to compete in events in French, German and Spanish languages. Trophies and prizes are awarded in events such as poetry recitation, “Jeopardy!” and dramatic performance, among others. Students may also participate in workshops on dance or film that use their language skills.

For news about the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department see:

• http://cas.umkc.edu/foreign/News

For news about the English Department see:

• http://cas.umkc.edu/english/publications/Fall2009NewsletterIssue%202.pdf

More College News

The newly issued A&S Fall 2009 Alumni Newsletter can be found at http://cas.umkc.edu/onthequad/pdfs/quadfs09.pdf.
Among its stories is the announcement of the pending retirement of Jim Falls from the faculty of the History Department after more than 40 years of service.

We welcome the following staff new to A&S:

• Amy Brost — Administrative Aide (History)
• Ashley Kaine — Editorial Assistant II (New Letters)
• Rashmi Pagadala— I-Net Administrator (Dean’s Office)
• Amanda Seley — Administrative Associate I (Psychology)
• Jennifer Simpson — Senior Secretary (English)

Rita Messina

Sandra Meyer

Two A&S administrative assistants are retiring by the end of 2009. We wish Rita Messina in Geosciences and Sandra Meyer in Art and Art History the very best in their retirements.

Fast Fact Currently, there are 51 full-time staff in A&S with an average of 9.1 years of service at UMKC. There also are 22 part-time A&S staff with an average of 10.9 years of service at UMKC as of November 2009.

A&S AUP+D DEPARTMENT CHAIR WINS EDUCATOR OF YEAR AWARD

Associate professor Joy Swallow was named educator of the year by the KC Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. See the story at:

• www.kansascity.com/115/story/1619547.html

Syad Hasan (Geosciences) has been appointed to serve on the External Awards Committee of the Geological Society of America for a three-year term beginning in July 2010. For more on the GSA, the oldest professional association of earth scientists see:

• www.geosociety.org

We take note with sadness in our hearts but happiness in our memories the passing of George Ehrlich, Professor Emeritus of Art and Art History (1925-2009).

See his remembrance at:

• http://cas.umkc.edu/art/faculty_news_ehrlich.asp

Ever wonder what the plaque on the steps of Scofield Hall marking a speech by President Truman commemorates? He received an honorary degree from the University of Kansas City and stopped to accept it on his way back from San Francisco where he had just signed the documents creating the United Nations. For more about how the UMKC Truman Center is trying to honor the Truman legacy and maintain the Truman connection, see:

• http://cas.umkc.edu/truman%20center/Files/Truman-Center-pres-120709.pdf

The A&S Department of Theatre has announced the upcoming “world premiere” of a new play Slammed! KC Speaks Out on the Recession created and directed by assistant professor Stephanie Roberts.

To see more, go to:

• http://cas.umkc.edu/theatre/Playbill/09-10/Slammed2.htm

328 A&S students have applied to graduate at the December 18th Commencement. Of this number, 58 percent are women and 42 percent are men. Of the 328, 92 percent are undergraduates.

At the Spring 2009 Commencement, 502 A&S students were awarded degrees. Of these 60 percent were women and 40 percent men; 73 percent were undergraduates.

Editor’s note: The UMKC Office of Research Services is transitioning the manner in which they report awards data and while we hope to be as consistent and accurate as we can in how we supply the College information to our readers, you will notice changes in how these items will appear in the E-Zine.

Grants and contracts data for November was not available at the time of publication. We hope to include this data in our January edition.

We are experimenting with this new online version of this newsletter and invite you to check it out. More details in the January  issue.