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Volume XXIV No. 13
• March 31, 2000
Submit items to Campus
Currents
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.
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Welcome
to Black Hills State University
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| Angela
Rommereim, secretary, College of Education |
CSA position open
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The following career service
position is open:
- custodial worker, facilities services
For further details, check the announcement
bulletin or contact the personnel office.
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Regents executive director
to meet with BHSU personnel - Top
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| Robert T. `Tad'
Perry, executive director of the South Dakota
Board of Regents, will visit Black Hills State
University April 5. The purpose of executive
director's visit is to meet with faculty, staff
and students to listen to concerns regarding the
state's higher education system and explain
policy issues. It is basically an information
gathering and
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information
disseminating session designed to bring higher
education officials, faculty and students
up-to-date on current issues. Perry will hold
meetings in the David B. Miller Student Union
multipurpose room. He will meet with university
students from 1 to 2 p.m.; faculty and staff from
2 to 3 p.m. and student teachers from 3 to 4 p.m.
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Indonesian
trade union activist speaks to BHSU class -
Top
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 Darlina
Lumbantoruan, an Indonesian trade union activist
spoke to Dr. Ahrar Ahmad's international
political economy class at Black Hills State
recently.
Lumbantoruan's visit was sponsored by
the Dacotah Territory International Visitors
Program. She addressed historical as well as
current issues facing Indonesian families and
workers.
Her talk to the students focused on
issues relating to worker rights, the country's
compensation structure, the role of American
multinational corporations in Indonesia, gender
discrimination, corruption, and the exploitation
of children. She also talked about what America
can do to help human rights as it relates to the
struggle of workers throughout the world.
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Austin
and student present information about shyness - Top
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 Shy people may feel like
they are alone, but they are part of a growing
group of Americans who may be too timid to even
go out to eat. Presenting his findings at the
2nd Annual Black Hills Research Symposium at
Black Hills State University, Austin drew on his
own research and that of recent Canadian studies
to reveal that eight percent of the population is
shy, while previous studies only found about one
or two percent to be painfully shy. “That is
a significant increase," said Austin. The
work of famous researcher Philip Zimbardo agrees
with Austin. Zimbardo, the creator of the Shyness
Clinic in California said, "shyness is an
insidious personal problem that is reaching
epidemic proportions."
Story
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Farrokhi presents at New
York national convention - Top
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 Dr. Abdollah Farrokhi,
professor of mass communication at Black Hills
State University, presented a research session
titled “Conducting Questionnaire Research in
a Statistically Valid Way” at the recent
National Collegiate Convention in New York City. Story
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State reading council and
teachers of English will meet - Top
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| The South Dakota Reading Council
(SDRC) and the South Dakota Council of Teachers
of English (SDCTE) will hold a joint convention
in Spearfish this weekend, March 30 through April
1 at the Holiday Inn of the Northern Black Hills.
Story
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South
Dakota political science and public affairs
conference to be held at BHSU - Top
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| The third annual conference of
the South Dakota Political Science and Public
Affairs Association will be held at the
multipurpose room in the Student Union Building
at Black Hills State University on Saturday,
April 8, 2000. Story
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Today
newspaper staff finishes strong in Wyoming
journalism competition - Top
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| Black Hills State University Today
newspaper staff members earned 13 awards at a
recent collegiate newspaper competition sponsored
by the University of Wyoming Student
Publications, the Wyoming Society of Professional
Journalists and the Wyoming Press Association. Story
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BHSU
to host high school music competition - Top
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| Black Hills State
University will host a jazz festival and
competition for high school jazz bands and jazz
choirs next week. Thirty musical groups from
South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming and Montana
high schools will take part in the two days of
competition.
Monday, April 3 the class A/AA jazz bands will
perform in Cook Gym from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The
jazz choir competition will be in Woodburn
Auditorium from 1 to 5 p.m. The BHSU jazz
ensemble and jazz choir will perform as a part of
the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. in Woodburn
Auditorium.
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Tuesday, April 4 the
B jazz bands will be competing in the David B.
Miller Student Union Multipurpose Room from 10
a.m. – 4 p.m. The jazz choir competition
will be in Woodburn Auditorium from 9:30 a.m. to
2 p.m. The day of competition will once again be
followed by a performance of the BHSU jazz
ensemble and jazz choir and awards ceremony at 4
p.m. in Woodburn Auditorium. All of the
performances are open to the public at no cost.
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Students to perform
“Come Blow Your Horn” - Top
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| The Black Hills State University
theater department will present “Come Blow
Your Horn” by Neil Simon in Woodburn
Auditorium April 13-15 at 8 p.m. Story
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Northern
Hills Wellness Fair will be April 5 at Young
Center - Top
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| The second annual
Northern Hills Wellness Fair will be Wednesday,
April 5 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Donald E.
Young Sports and Fitness Center on the Black
Hills State University campus. The fair, will
bring together a variety of health-care
providers, many of whom will provide free or
at-cost wellness screenings. Screenings include,
but are not limited to: glucose, blood pressure,
body fat, cholesterol, flexibility and balance,
vision, and hematocrit tests. It's important to
know the numbers from these kinds of tests for
good health and wellness.
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Local health-care
providers will be available to discuss and answer
questions, discuss job opportunities in health
care, and answer question on a variety of
health-related topics. Other booths will offer
educational information and demonstrations. Many
will offer freebies and door prizes.
Entertainment will also be provided.
The wellness fair is open to the public. For
health-fair information contact BHSU Student
Health Services at (605) 642-6520.
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BHSU
career services schedules employer visits -
Top
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| Eric Bittner, a BHSU
alumnus, who is a representative of the Denver
branch of the National Archives and Record
Service, will be on the Black Hills State
University campus Friday, April 7 from 10-11 a.m.
in the career services office. He will explain
agency internship opportunities and career
possibilities with the archives. Bittner interned
with the archives and then accepted employment
there. No appointment is necessary to meet with
Bittner.
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Career services also
announced that a U.S. Air Force recruiting
service representative will be at the David B.
Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union room 221 April
5 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. For more
information on either of these visits contact
career services at 642-6277 or stop by the office
in the Student Union, room 124.
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PEARL
club sponsoring a mini-march on Lookout Mountain -
Top
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 The PEARL (Physical
Education And Recreation Leadership) Club is
sponsoring a mini-march on Lookout Mountain
Saturday, April 8.Story
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Whirlwind
Horse Memorial Run and Walk is April 15 - Top
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| The 16th annual
Kevin Whirlwind Horse Memorial Run & Walk
will be held at Black Hills State University on
Saturday, April 15 at 10 a.m. Categories include
kids' races (eight and under - 1/4 mile and 9-12
- 1/2 mile), a one-mile walk, a 5K run, and a 10K
run. A $10 entry fee includes a t-shirt. Proceeds
support the Kevin Whirlwind Horse Memorial
Scholarship Fund. |
For more information
or to obtain registration forms call Deatta
Chapel at 642-6259 or e-mail to deattachapel@bhsu.edu
. Registration forms will also be available at a
booth at the Northern Hills Wellness Fair April 5
from noon to 7 p.m. in the Young Center Field
House. |
 Williams
and Ree will return to BHSU - Top
Williams and Ree, the comedy team that met
while attending Black Hills State, will return to
their alma mater for a show Thursday, April 27 at
7 p.m. at the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket
Student Union multi-purpose room.
Story
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Faculty
and staff invited to join in disc golf tournament
- Top
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| Recreation sports is
hosting a disc golf tournament on Saturday, April
29 on the campus disc golf course. BHSU
faculty, staff and student get a great deal. If
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you sign up at the
recreation sports desk by April 7, your entry fee
is only $5. This fee includes an official golfing
disc (a $10 value) and a post tournament
barbeque. |
Minutes
of the faculty senate meeting - Top
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| Minutes of the March 1, 2000,
faculty senate meeting at 3:15 p.m. in Jonas 110.
Story
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Minutes
of the graduate council meeting - Top
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| Minutes of the university
graduate council meeting Tuesday, March 28, 2000,
at 3:30 p.m. in Jonas 306. Story
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Instructional
improvement committee taking applications for
course releases - Top
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| The instructional
improvement committee is ready to receive
applications for course releases for the
2000-2001 school year. Course releases are
available to any full-time faculty member with
the approval of his/her dean and department
chair. Course releases will be for one semester
during the regular academic year. Consideration
will be given for summer stipends for faculty
unable to apply for a course release for the
regular academic year because of documented
departmental staffing problems.
Course releases may be granted to:
- design a new course which will be infused
with technology or offered through the
internet;
- redesign an existing course so that it is
infused with technology or offered for
internet delivery;
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- design a new course or redesign an
existing course to be presented
collaboratively with other BHSU faculty;
- significantly redesign an existing
course; or
- design a new course.
Proposals for course releases will be reviewed
by the instructional improvement committee in
March so that the recommendations may be made and
approved by April. Proposals should be submitted
to the grants and special projects office,
Woodburn 220, by the last Friday in March, and
will consist of a proposal following the
specified format. A copy of the guidelines and
proposal format are available from the grants
office web page or by contacting your dean or
department chair for a hard copy. Ten copies of
the proposal are needed so that each member of
the IIC can review it. Proposal writers may be
requested to make an oral presentation to the
committee in support of a proposal.
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Funds
available through instructional improvement
committee - Top
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| The instructional
improvement committee (IIC) encourages, through
monetary grants, the application of existing
knowledge to specific teaching situations to
improve the quality of instruction at BHSU. Any
full-time faculty member, full-time adjunct
faculty or other full time staff member engaged
in student instruction may apply for grant funds
administered by the committee. Grant funding will
normally be available up to a maximum of $1,000
per project. Priority will be given to projects
that will have a broad-based, visible, continuing
impact of instruction across faculty members
and/or disciplines. Funds are available for
development of materials and methods to improve
teaching and learning, equipment to enhance
teaching and learning, travel to conferences or
workshops which enhance teaching and learning,
and bringing consulting
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lecturers and
teaching specialists to campus to offer
presentations to and/or with faculty and
teaching-support staff at BHSU. Faculty members
who apply for grants to support travel to a
conference or workshop are limited to receiving
no more than one grant every three years. Proposals
for grant funding will be reviewed by the IIC on
a monthly basis. The deadline for submission will
be the last Friday of each month; a decision will
be made as soon as practicable on each proposal.
Ten copies of the proposals should be submitted
to the grants and special projects office, W220,
or to the chair of the committee, Sharon Strand.
Proposals will consist of proposal and budget
outlines following the specified format available
at the grants and special projects web page.
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Faculty-research
committee has funds available - Top
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| 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
academic affairs office. Deadline is April 14. It
is anticipated that successful applicants will
request support for faculty release time,
research equipment, travel to research sites,
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.Two three-hour
release times are available for spring of 2001.
You can apply now.
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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, Daniel Farrington, Abdollah
Farrokhi, chair; Jim Hess, Kathleen Parrow, Shane
Sarver and Rob Schurrer. The research
committee will not provide salary. The committee
may approve payment to student or non-student
research assistants. Mail ten copies of your
proposal to unit 9550.
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Grants opportunities
announced - Top
Below are the program materials received March
23-29 in the grants office, Woodburn 220. For
copies of the information, contact our office at
642-6627 or e-mail requests to us at <grants@mystic.bhsu.edu>.
Fellowship information will also be posted on the
Student Union bulletin board near the information
desk.
- NSF. Enhancing Infrastructure for
the social and behavioral sciences. Due
Aug. 4. NSF 00-79.
- Indian Professional Development
(Priorities) (ED). The Education
Department plans to invite applications
to support training to increase the
number of American Indian teachers and
education administrators. Deadline: April
6 for comments on proposed plans. ED will
issue a solicitation after reviewing
comments. Grants would support preservice
and inservice training for teachers;
preservice and inservice administrator
training; and training in fields other
than education.
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New Faculty
Profile
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 Dr.
Andy Johnson
By Dawn Taggaort, media relations
student intern
Students developing deep
understandings of math and science, and
powerful ways of thinking about the world
are goals Dr. Andrew Johnson has in mind
when talking about the Center for the
Advancement of Mathematics and Science
Education (CAMSE) at Black Hills State
University.
“I believe you have to provide
the right kind of social, physical, and
logistic structure so that people find it
possible to get deeply engaged in what
they are studying,” said Johnson.
“People who study education are
still groping to figure out what is the
most helpful structure for learners. You
can say that hands-on will be part of
that structure, and so will minds-on, but
you have to havesupporting infrastructure
of questions, topics, ideas, classroom
roles, and who knows what other
things.”
Johnson joined Dr. Bentley Sayler last
fall as associate director of BHSU Center
for Advancement, located at Central
Elementary in Spearfish. Before moving to
Spearfish he worked as a research
assistant for San Diego State University.
Much of his professional career includes
positions in the field of physics, in
which he earned his bachelor's degree
(1984) from Colorado School of Mines in
Golden, Colo. He earned a master's degree
(1987) in physics from Arizona State
University in Tempe, Ariz., and a
doctorate in science education from San
Diego State (1999).
The Center of Excellence is currently
involved in at least 30 projects in the
community and at the university.
According to Johnson, the center has four
main pillars of activity: providing high
quality professional development for
teachers, serving as a repository for
exemplary math and science materials
(including NSF materials, science
curriculum kits, and others), helping the
university do an even better job of
preparing teachers to teach science and
mathematics, and doing research on the
teaching and learning of math and
science.
Describing his view on teaching
Johnson said, “Like a lot of other
people, I used to think that if I could
just do a good enough job telling
students things -- maybe with fancy
techniques or good text books, with good
multi-media presentations, great
examples, or great lab activities -- that
they would learn it, and the problem was
just that we weren't doing a good enough
job of telling them.
“I eventually learned from
reading a lot of research and talking to
students that telling science ideas to
students doesn't seem to work very well,
no matter how you do it. What really has
to happen for people to learn is [those]
people have to take a personal stake in
what they're learning, and they have to
have opportunities to develop skills, and
more importantly, understandings --
systems of understandings about whatever
topic they're learning. Sometimes, in
fact, telling will get in the way of that
because they'll hear some words and
they'll feel complacent about the topic
that they're learning but they may not be
facing it really deeply and developing a
deep understanding of it.”
Computers are one educational tool
that Johnson feels could either help or
hinder in the learning process, depending
on how they're used. He continued,
“Computers can provide a kind of
structure that has never existed before.
They are very flexible so they can
provide all kinds of structure. People
are looking at all kinds of ways to use
computers. I think that it really helps
make a connection [in learning].”
Conversely Johnson says of his vision for
the CAMSE, “I want the Center to be
a locus of expertise, a hub of activity,
and a source of good ideas.”
He was attracted to the Black Hills
area because of the center, but also
because of all of the public land
available for his favorite leisure
activities of hiking and biking.
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This week at BHSU
BHSU events are shown in gold, Spearfish
Chamber events are in gray.
Submit
items or send to media relations, Unit 9512,
BHSU.
April
Calendar
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Friday, March
30
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Saturday, April1
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Sunday, April2
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Monday,
April 3
| High School jazz
festival, Woodburn Auditorium and
Student Union Spring Science Seminar
Series, Cynthia Anderson, BHSU research
associate, Jonas 101, 4 p.m.
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Tuesday, April 4
| Preview day: high
school students on campus High School
jazz festival, Woodburn Auditorium and
Student Union
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Wednesday, April 5
| Student employee of
the year reception, Student Union, 3
p.m. Northern Hills Wellness Fair 2000,
Donald E. Young Sports and Fitness Center, noon -
7 p.m.
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Thursday, April 6
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Friday, April7
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Saturday,
April 8
| Conference of South
Dakota Political Science Association, Student
Union multipurpose room, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Lookout
Mt. Mini-March sponsored by PEARL Club
at BHSU
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