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

• Linda Gilmore, custodial worker, facilities services

• Miles Gifford, grounds keeper, facilities services

Resignations - Top

• Mary Foster, cook, food service

• Hazel Johnston, cook, food service

Faculty, staff and students participate in creek clean-up - Top

Students, faculty and staff gathered at Salem Park in Spearfish Friday to take part in a creek clean-up effort.. According to Cheryl Leahy, one of the organizers for the event, plans are being made for an annual clean up effort. 

"We hope to get a little more organized so more students as well as faculty and staff are able to take part," Leahy said. The will soon chose a date for next year's event. 

Groups were assigned to five sections along the creek from the Homestake power plant north of the city park to the Meier property near the Jorgensen subdivision. The city picked up brush and debris piles at designated drop sites along the creek.

Leahy, a senior secretary with the university’s enrollment center, initiated the cleanup campaign after observing conditions surrounding the stream while taking her daily walk along the bike path. It appeared to her that rubbish and debris had been accumulating and had become a distraction to an otherwise beautiful landmark. With a ready source of manpower, the university and its student organizations would be logical choice, to take on such a project, she reasoned.

Working with Dr. Charles Lamb, biology professor, who teaches fly-fishing classes and conducts research on the stream quality, they decided an annual cleanup effort was needed to preserve stream integrity.

“We want this to become a campus-wide effort for the university to get involved in community service work by giving back a little to Spearfish,” said Lamb.

Information regarding the Spearfish Creek cleanup is available by contacting Leahy at 642-6145 (work) or 722-2952 (home).

Web class will be offered for faculty and staff - Top

Faculty and staff will be able to enhance their web skills by enrolling in an eight-week class: CIS 287-1 Special Topics: Web Page Design and Maintenance.

The class will be held Oct. 31 through Dec.19 and be offered at no cost as a training opportunity for current faculty and staff members. The course carries one semester 

Sorority and fraternity donate to the American Red Cross donation - Top

The Alpha Epsilon Xi sorority at Black Hills State University presented a check for $713.67 to the American Red Cross this week. Sorority members set up a table to take donations that will assist with relief efforts in New York following the World Trade Center attack. The sorority also donated their time to help the American Red Cross take donations and distribute red, white and blue ribbons to people at the Wal Mart parking lot. Members of the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity have now begun a fund-raising drive of their own by setting up tents on the campus green asking for donations to the New York City police and fire departments. 

Employee organization awards scholarships to Black Hills State University students - Top

The South Dakota State Employees Organization (SDSEO) has awarded scholarships to Black Hills State students Sara Goeden and Mary Louise Foster.  Both students received $375 to be used for tuition. 

Sara Goeden is a freshman at BHSU and a member of the volleyball team.  She graduated from Pierre’s TF Riggs High School with a grade-point average of 3.81. Mary Louise Foster was a full-time cook at BHSU, but has now resigned her position to work as a substitute teacher and a student worker in the cafeteria.  She is double majoring in special education and elementary education and hopes to

Goeden	Foster

complete her program in five years.  Foster encourages state employees to apply for the SDSEO scholarship, “Both my daughter and I applied, but I got it.”  She also hopes to raise awareness about the program.  “Anyone who is a state employee can apply.” 

Swarm Day king and queen named - Top

Jeff Williamson, a senior social-sciences major from Sturgis, and Anya Olverson, a senior mass-communications major from Spearfish, were named Swarm Day king and queen Tuesday night.  Swarm week continues through Saturday at Black Hills State University.

The Swarm Day mom and dad, chosen from a nominated group of faculty and staff, are Cheryl Anagnopoulos, psychology assistant

professor, and David Diamond, communications assistant professor. Other members of the homecoming royal court include Allen Godsell, a senior social-sciences major from Sturgis; Matt Mueller, a senior accounting major from Miller; Justin Varland, a senior mass-communication major from Gregory; Angelia Johnston, a senior political-sciences/sociology major from Jacksonville, Fla.; Sommerlyn Mortensen, a junior accounting major from Wall; and Lindsay Whitley, a senior biology major from Bremerton, Wash.

The BHSU homecoming theme is “BH Rocks the World.”

Internship opportunities offered for BHSU college students - Top

South Dakota Executive Internship opportunities are available for college students at Black Hills State University.

Internships are offered for a wide variety of majors.  Opportunities are available within the following departments:  agriculture, corrections, education & cultural affairs, environment & natural resources, game, fish & parks, human services, S.D. Army National Guard and state training school.

To qualify, applicants must be currently

 enrolled at a college or university and have at least sophomore credit standing by the end of the fall 2001 semester.  A complete internship listing and application materials are available in the career center, located in the lower level of the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union.  The deadline to apply for spring is Nov. 1.

Listings are also on the web: www.state.sd.us/jobs/listings.intern.htm For more information contact Sarah Chase, 605-642-6219.

Research grant opportunites announced for South Dakota students and faculty - Top

Several South Dakota students and faculty members have used the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to start research and technnology-based companies. These successful entrepreneurs will be particpating in a pre-conference sponsored by the South Dkaota EPSCoR program and the South Dakota Board of Regents Tuesday Oct. 23 at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

These pre-conference sessions are in conjunction with the National Small Business Innovation Research Conference that will be held in Rapid City Oct. 23-26. This is an excellent opportunity for faculty and students to learn how to put federal research and development dollars to work to further their research. Nationally, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provides more than $1.2 billion annually in awards for innovative new technologies or products. South Dakota has received more than 50 SBIR grants in recent years. These grants have provided more than $10 million to South Dakota researchers creating new products and processes. 

Successful student and faculty entrepreneurs who will participate in the conference include:

• Russ Mileham, Microvision Technologies, Brookings, who received approximately $2 million in SBIR funding to develop a number of new environmental sensors.

• Kaia Kloster, Photobiomed, Sioux Falls, received two SBIR awards from the National Institutes of Health to explore the use of patented fluorescent dyes in a number of medical applications.
• Dr. Neil Chamberlain and Scott Thompson, Rapid City, have received six SBIR awards. While a student at SDSM&T, Thompson worked with Dr. Chamberlian to develop a number of radar and communications technologies.

Minutes of the North Central Self-Study Committee meeting Sept. 17 - Top

The North Central Self-Study Committee met Sept. 17 in Woodburn Conference Room 1 at 3 p.m.

Present: Earley, Fuqua, Kloppel, K. Johnson, Cook, Keller, J. Johnson, Downing, D. Wessel, Schurrer, Dar, Babbitt, A. Hemmingson, J. Haislett. Absent: Heidrich, Schamber, and a student representative.

Chair introduced the new members - Fuqua replaces Lin, Dar replace Lefler, Schurrer replaces B. Silva, and Babbitt for Card. Heidrich and Schamber have classes on Monday at this time. The student representative has not been selected.

Chair handed out the outline of the criteria and talked about the work during the summer that had been done on the documents. The chapters would be built around the goals of the university and the board of regents. The new approach was designed to highlight the role of strategic planning.

Meeting adjourned.

Minutes of the Graduate Council meeting - Top

The  University Graduate Council met Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 3:30 p.m. in Jonas 309. Present: Earley, R. Chrisman, Sujithamrack, Molseed, Thares, Erickson, Steckline, Alsup, C. Johnston. Absent: Cook, B. Silva

Chair provided each member with a copy of the Graduate Bulletin and asked them to read it and let him know of addition, deletions or corrections.

Operational Guidelines- A motion was made and seconded to approve the operational guidelines. After discussion, motion was passed. The council recommended that the procedure of resolution of conflict on a committee should be included in the guidelines.  The chair reported that Dr. Cook would like to see a discussion of who should be on the graduate council and hopes to have Dr. Cook come to the next meeting to discuss his ideas.  The chair asked the council members to do a poll and see who wants or does not want to be listed as graduate faculty and report back to the next meeting.

Reports

MSCI - Molseed reported that there are now six cohorts: Spearfish, Spearfish teachers, Hot Springs/Custer, online, and two in Rapid City.  The College of Education is discussing ways to 

cope with the additional students and will bring them to the council when they are finalized.  Next spring should see a record number of MSCI graduates.  Ms. Christina Johnston is the graduate assistant in education this year.

MSBSM - Sujithamrack reported that the name of the degree has been changed to the Master of Science in Business Services Administration (MSBSM).  The number of students has increased from 4 to 12.  The graduate assistant for this year is Mr. Paul Thares.  There are also two graduate assistants doing research with Dr. Romkema.  The dean is working on various ideas to expand the number of students.

Library - Erickson reported that there are major changes going on in the library. Hopefully they will increase the ability of faculty and graduate students to do research. He encouraged everyone to come see what had been done.

Chair reported that part of this year will be spent in preparing for the North Central visit in the fall of 2002 and the NCATE visit in the spring of 2003.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m. in Jonas 309.

Faculty research funds available - Top

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 

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. 

Grant opportunity announced - Top