The Quad

Associate professor Caroline Davies was the UMKC liaison and host for the 2009 Bio eConference “Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability” that was sponsored by 14 Midwest state universities and hosted from Iowa State University on December 1, 2009. This meeting allowed more than 30 area experts to participate in a major national conference while keeping costs and their carbon footprint down.

See these sites for more details:

• http://www.bioeconomyconference.org
• http://www.bioeconomyconference.org/agenda2009

Assistant professor Julie Urbanik has focused her teaching on environmental issues and learns from the students in her environmental studies courses in the process.

Check these sites for more:

• www.kansascity.com/637/story/1605809.html
• http://media.www.unews.com/media/paper274/sections/20091207SpecialSection.html#2

Carla Klausner (History)
A History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
(with Ian J. Bickerton)
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/History-of-the-ArabIsraeli-Conflict-A/9780205753383.page

We heard from many of the high school students who visited the Art and Art History Department in November 2009. They liked what they saw and did:

“I thought the whole day was pretty awesome. I was stunned by what UMKC looks like.”

“I had a great experience at UMKC and now I am going to consider going there.”

“The guest speakers were very kind and the students who already attend are really focused.”

“I liked everything about it, especially the teachers. There is nothing I didn’t enjoy.”

“I had a great time learning on campus and going into classes and experiencing this with the college students.”

Prep-KC’s Board is chaired by UMKC’s Chancellor Leo Morton. For more information, see: www.prepkc.org

Fast Fact  The average years of service for all regular faculty in the College is 15.2. Total years of service for professors is 1,478 years; for associate professors it is 970 years of service and assistant professors have 176 years of UMKC service. For non-regular faculty, the average is 10.5 years of service as of the start of AY 2009-2010.

You will notice that we have put in a link to an online version of the newsletter for you to preview. We are experimenting with alternate ways of keeping A&S news available, interesting, timely and searchable when archived. At this point this is in preview mode only.

Also, as we move into the new year, please note that the general target for publication is the end of the third week of each month so “suggested copy” needs to be to the editor by the 15th of each month.

Happy New Year—Dale Neuman

Jennie Nielsen, A&S senior and scholarship recipient, with Karen Vorst, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.

On October 27, 2009, UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton announced receipt of $1,000,000 to endow the need-based Armacost Scholarships for students in any major in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Donors of other scholarships and A&S scholarship recipients were present and heard Jennie Nielsen (A&S senior and scholarship recipient) describe the freedom to be a student that her several scholarships afforded her.

More on A&S Scholarships

• A&S Scholarship Web site
• Osher Scholarship Web site
• A&S Scholarship Application

In 2006-07, A&S awarded 75 scholarships in the amount of $47,000. For 2009-10, 142 scholarships worth $292,000 were awarded.

Deborah Cameron is now available to help A&S students who are confronting non-academic and personal issues that may be impeding their progress at UMKC. Her office is 23 Scofield Hall. Contact Deborah at (816) 235-1446 or via e-mail at Deborah.Cameron@umkc.edu

The A&S Endowment Fund total currently stands at $9.225 million. Of that amount, almost $3 million is for scholarships.

Jennifer Underwood is the first recipient of the new staff award in Arts & Sciences

Jennifer Underwood, a UMKC employee since 1981 and currently Administrative Assistant in Communication Studies, was recently selected from among the many nominations submitted as the recipient of the inaugural (2009) College of Arts & Sciences Staff Member of the Year Award.

The award criteria are that the staffer must be: Respectful, Responsible, Resourceful, Receptive, Responsive, and Reasonable. The selection committee was comprised of two faculty members and three staff members from the College. To read more about Jennifer and the department she so ably serves, go to: http://cas.umkc.edu/comm.

We note with sadness in our hearts but happiness in our memories the passing of James Phillips, (1935-2009), Professor Emeritus of Physics. His obituary can be found at: www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansascity/obituary.aspx?n=james-m-phillips&pid=135830377

In FY 2009, A&S budget funds covered almost $1,600,000 in GTA stipends and $143,000 in GRA stipends. (This does not include stipends covered by external grants.)