Submit items to Campus Currents - Top

The Campus Currents is distributed every Friday. If you would like to include an item in the newsletter send it to Campus Currents, Unit 9512 or by e-mail to Campus Currents. Deadline is Thursday at 8 a.m.

Welcome to Black Hills State University - Top

• Sarah Nelson, custodial worker, facilities services

Resignation - Top

• Larry Schuman, grounds keeper, facilities services

CSA position open - Top

The following career service position is open

·        food service supervisor, dining service

For additional information, review the announcement bulletin or contact the personnel office.

Bush grant recipients will be honored - Top

The Bush Grant is hosting a day for faculty to reflect on and share their experiences with learning and teaching on Jan. 9 in the Donald E. Young Center Hall of Fame room. Recipients of minigrants and travel awards during the past year will be highlighted.

The collaborative minigrant projects include: 

• Collaboration in American Economic History designed by Dr. Ron DeBeaumont from Economics and Dr. David Wolff from history; 
• The Collaboration of Advertising Strategy with Advertising Graphics developed by Patty Jo Bellamy from the College of Business and Dr. Abdollah Farrokhi from the College of Arts and Sciences;
• Health, Culture, and Technology - Digital Diversity for Educators was developed by Dr. Larry Tentinger from the health and physical education department at BHSU and Dr. Marilyn Wells from Hampton University's Health Education Department; and,
• New Course Development in Ethnobotany designed by Dr. Mark Gabel and Dr. Charles Lamb from the science department, together with Jace DeCory from American Indian Studies and Nora Danforth, an undergraduate American Indian Studies major.

Travel grants awarded in 2000 included:  

• Dr. Jane Shimon to attend the World Congress and Exposition on Disabilities in Atlanta, Ga.;  

• Micheline Hickenbotham and four elementary education students, Leslie Schweitzer, Alan Demaret, Amber Volner, and Lori Peterson to present at the South Dakota Reading Annual Spring Conference in Huron; 

• Dr. Priscilla Romkema to present at the International Society for Business Education in Helsinki, Finland;

• Dr. Pamela Wegner to attend Creating Partnerships, Creating Scholarships: Strengthening Research, Teaching, and Learning with Effective Use of Electronic Resources in Minneapolis, Minn.; and 

• Dr. Kristi Pearce to attend The Collaboration Conference for the Advancement of College Teaching and Learning in Minneapolis, Minn.

Farrokhi receives service recognition - Top

Dr. Abdollah Farrokhi received recognition for outstanding service to the College Media Association.  The College Media Advisers, Inc. (CMA) honored Farrokhi by recognizing his outstanding service to student media across the nation.  He received a CMA presidential citation signed by President, Chris Carroll, for his service as chair of research committee.  The citation reads “College Media Advisers, Inc. recognizes with this Presidential Citation Abdollah Farrokhi, chair of research committee for outstanding service to College Media Advisers and the student media across the nation.”

Since 1999, Farrokhi has been serving as chair of the CMA research committee and also served as past chair and associate chair of diversity committee for two terms, from 1993 to 1997.  The chairs are responsible for 

compiling, organizing and presenting educational sessions, workshops, lectures, meetings and special events at the national conventions.  During the fall national convention in Washington, D.C., in early November 2000, the research committee scheduled 12 research presentations related to the college media.

The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) co-sponsored this year’s College Media Convention.  The ACP is the nation’s largest and oldest membership association for college student media.  The College Media Advisers represent faculty and staff advisers who advise the American collegiate newspapers, yearbooks, magazines, broadcast and online media.  More than 2,100 college media staff members, editors, managers, faculty and advisers attended the fall national convention in Washington, D.C.  Farrokhi has been a member of the College Media Advisers since 1987.

Royer to direct band in inaugural parade - Top

Dr. Randall Royer, assistant professor of music at Black Hills State University, will march with the Wyoming High School All-State Marching Band in the presidential inaugural parade. 

The parade for President-elect George W. Bush will be held in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2001. The Wyoming marching band received the invitation to the inaugural parade just before Christmas. The band is comprised of students from high schools from the entire state of Wyoming, and was last formed to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade, Jan. 1, 2000. The inauguration parade band will be formed with 250 students from the Tournament of Roses Parade band still in high school. 

Royer is the head woodwind director for the Wyoming marching band and worked with the group the last two times it was formed.

He was the woodwind director for the band when they marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, in 1998, and last year when they marched in the 2000 Tournament of Roses Parade.  

Dave Bellis from Worland High School is the executive director of the Wyoming High School All-State Marching Band. The band has been formed two other times, in addition to the 2000 Tournament of Roses Parade, and the 1998 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  The band performed in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1991, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1994. 

 Royer has been a member of the Black Hills State University music faculty since 1997, and presently directs the BHSU Jazz Ensemble and the Dakota Chamber Orchestra. He earned a Ph. D. in music education from the University of Utah in 1996.

BH students win tuition in Rushmore Bank shootout - Top

Two Black Hills State University students demonstrated their composure and skill recently by scoring baskets to win a semester’s tuition during a half-time shoot-out contest sponsored by Rushmore State Bank and Trust.

The Ballroom Blitz Shootout, sponsored by the Spearfish bank, challenges a BH student to shoot for a semester’s worth of in-state tuition by making four shots:  a lay-up, a free throw, a three-point goal and a half-court shot all within 25 seconds. Students are given tickets as they enter the game and ticket numbers are randomly drawn to select the participant.

The pressure of the crowd, a time limit, and making all the shots didn’t faze Levi Ellsbury, a freshman from Sundance,

 Wyo., as he went four-for-four Friday night during the Perkins Classic. He will receive 12-semester hours of paid in-state tuition for the spring term.

Not to be outdone Saturday night, Blakelee Binning, a sophomore from Torrington, Wyo., and Yellow Jacket volleyball star, hit four out of five attempts in the allotted time limit to cash in. Not only is she paying her way through college on a volleyball scholarship, but now she’s helping pay her way by utilizing her basketball talents, too.

BHSU receives a $5,000 anonymous gift to Mikkelsen scholarship - Top

The E. C. Mikkelsen Scholarship at Black Hills State University recently received an anonymous $5,000 gift to bring the endowment to $35,000.

The scholarship endowment was established in 1999 by Fred Alleman of Boise, Idaho, as a way of honoring his former high school math teacher and Spearfish High School principal E. C. Mikkelsen. Alleman credited Mikkelsen with giving him the encouragement and confidence to succeed in life. Alleman is an aeronautical engineer and retired Lt. Colonel. He initiated the endowment with a $5,000 gift.

Steve Meeker, institutional advancement 

director at BHSU, said this is the third check his office has received over the past couple of years for the Mikkelsen Scholarship endowment with the request for anonymity.

The scholarship criteria Alleman set for the E. C. Mikkelsen Scholarship is for a BHSU student majoring in either math, business, education or computers, who maintains a minimum 2.0 grade-point average, and is a resident of western South Dakota.

$5,000 gift establishes art scholarship at BHSU - Top

Evelyn Sage of Cheney, Wash, established a $5,000 scholarship for art majors at Black Hills State University.

Sage established the Bill and Stirling Sage Scholarship fund at BHSU named for her husband and son. Her husband, Bill, also attended BHSU.

She is a 1950 graduate of BHSU with a degree in physical education.

The scholarship is to be awarded to a student pursuing a major in art with a minimum grade-point average of 2.5.

The first scholarship award will be made during the 2001-2002 academic year.

Faculty research funds available - Top  

The faculty-research committee has funds available for the current fiscal year. Write a short (about three-page) proposal. Proposal forms are available at the grants office or can be printed out from their webpage.

It is anticipated that successful applicants will request support for faculty release time, research equipment, travel to research sites or research support for the production of creative work. Preference is given to new applicants, particularly in the areas of education, business, social sciences and humanities. A three-hour release time is available for fall of 2001. You can apply now

The applicants are encouraged to contact the committee members for advice prior to completing their proposals. The members are John Alsup, Steve Anderson, Lyle Cook, Tom Cox,  Abdollah Farrokhi, chair; Jim Hess, Kathleen Parrow, Shane Sarver and Rob Schurrer.

Grants opportunities announced - Top

Below are the program materials received Dec. 21, 2000-Jan. 3, 2001, in the grants office, 218 Woodburn. For copies of the information, contact our office at 642-6627 or e-mail requests to us at grants@bhsu.edu.  Fellowship information will also be posted on the Student Union bulletin board near the information desk.

• National Science Foundation.  Research on learning and education.  Awards range from $100,000 to $1,800,000.  Preliminary proposals due March 1 and Sept. 1; full proposals due June 1 and Dec. 1.

• Environmental Protection Agency.  Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.  Approximately $1,500,000 available in funding.  Deadline is March 9.
  

• American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund.  Offering type AC grants and type G “Starter” grants.  Applicants must request forms online.  Applications for research grants may be submitted throughout the year with no deadlines.  The PRF Advisory Board normally meets to review proposals three times a year, in February, May and October.