Dear Bellarmine University students, faculty and staff,

More exciting progress is underway as we continue to realize "Vision 2020." We're hard at work on new academic programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as a new construction project. The newest academic programs, which will begin next fall, include the bachelor of arts in exercise science, the master of arts in communications and the family nurse practitioner doctoral program.

The curriculum for the new degree in exercise science includes exercise, prevention and treatment of disease, human performance enhancement and rehabilitation. The degree will offer multiple tracks, to allow students to prepare for careers ranging from medical doctors to personal trainers to respiratory therapists.

The nurse practitioner program will offer two courses during the spring 2008 semester and will introduce the full curriculum in the fall. Students will be able to complete all courses for the program within one calendar year, and graduates of the program will be eligible to progress directly into the Lansing School’s planned Doctor of Nursing Practice program (more on that soon).

The master’s in communication will be a 30-hour program offering tracks in healthcare communication and convergent media. In the healthcare track, the curriculum will cover topics such as gerontological communication, public health communication, global public health communication and crisis communication. The convergent media track will cover topics such as graphic communication, integrated communication, public relations, global communication strategies and digital media.

Siena Secundo

Besides the new academic programs, work will also begin immediately on "Siena Secundo," a residence hall to accommodate 176 students. The project is the second phase of four planned phases of the Siena housing complex. Plans call for the new residence hall, to be located between Bonaventure and Newman halls, to be complete by the spring semester of 2009. The new building will be connected to Siena Primo through the existing gatehouse.

Rubel School Excellence

Kudos to the W. Fielding Rubel School of Business for two significant accomplishments. The business school has been selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of "Best Business Schools," to be published by the Princeton Review and Random House. Also, Educational Testing Service (ETS) has released the results of its fall 2007 business-school testing, and Bellarmine students scored in the 95th percentile, which is ETS' highest level. The testing covered nine areas: accounting, economics, management, quantitative, finance, marketing, legal, information systems, and international.

Education Dean Gnadinger

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Cindy Meyers Gnadinger as Dean of the Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education. All the qualities and habits required in this post have been abundantly evident in Dr. Gnadinger’s excellent service as acting dean. She has brought extraordinary energy, intelligence, resourcefulness, creativity, patience, humility and good humor to this important work. She has demonstrated exceptional oversight of graduate and undergraduate programs, new program development, faculty recruitment and evaluation, and coordination for state and national accreditation reviews. She has attracted and worked on more than $2 million in grants so far in her career, her scholarship has been published internationally and most recently she brought state recognition for the university with our model Principal Leadership Program. Dr. Gnadinger has led the school in an entrepreneurial fashion, building its capacity to be a leading force in the realization of Vision 2020. We know great things are on the immediate horizon -- and I know you join me in wishing Dean Gnadinger the best of luck in her new position.

Associate Dean Bucalos

I am also excited to announce that Dr. Anne B. Bucalos has accepted the appointment of Associate Dean in the Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education. Dr. Bucalos has been, and continues to be, a valued leader in the school. She is an outstanding educator and noted scholar, having been published in Beyond Behavior and Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, among other respected journals. Dr. Bucalos serves as a model for students and faculty in the School of Education and has provided exceptional service to Bellarmine University and the educational community. Please join me in congratulating her on this well deserved appointment.

December Commencement

Bellarmine will award more than 282 degrees during its annual December commencement exercises on Wednesday, December 19. Ceremonies will begin at 5 p.m. in Knights Hall with entrepreneur and founder of USA Harvest, Stan Curtis, delivering the commencement address. Honorary degrees will be awarded to Curtis and Joan Cralle Day. Another highlight of the commencement exercises will be awarding the Archbishop's Medal of Scholastic Excellence, which is awarded to the graduate(s) having the highest cumulative grade point average. For information about cap and gown pick up and other details, consult the graduation Web site.

Bellarmine Ranks Above Peer Institutions in National Survey

Bellarmine ranked above its peer institutions in a recent national survey of student satisfaction. A recent USA Today article, which announced the results of the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), indicates that Bellarmine students rank their school higher than the national average in all 10 of the benchmarks. The survey includes five different categories with two scores in each category, making a total of 10 benchmarks. The scores represent first-year students’ opinions and seniors’ opinions. The categories include: Level of academic challenge, Active and collaborative learning, Student-faculty interaction, Enriching educational experiences, and Supportive campus environment. For further commentary and more information on NSSE, consult the Web sites for NSSE and USA Today.

Welcome New Overseers

Please join me in welcoming new members of the Board of Overseers. The new members include: Robert G Bader, Jr., president of Healthcare Recoveries Division of Trover Solutions, Inc.; Paula Padgett Evans, territory executive with IBM; Dale Gettelfinger, president and chief executive officer of Monroe Shine & Co.; David B. Holobaugh, president of David Construction; R. Thad Keal, partner with Turner, Keal and Dallas; Thomas P. O’Brien III, partner with Frost Brown Todd, LLC; and Heather Peet Spurlock, controller for Texas Roadhouse. The Board of Overseers is a group of community leaders made up of alumni and friends of Bellarmine who assist with the advancement of the university. Each new board member is appointed for a renewable three-year term. For info on our new overseers, please see the Bellarmine News site.

Poetry prizewinners

Congratulations to students Emily Ruppel and Jill Cox, who both won awards in the Sarabande Press Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize competitions. Emily won for her poem "The Way to Wolvercote" and Jill for "Where You Go Before 7:00 a.m." Both poems are posted in Alumni Hall.

Bellarmine Holds First Alumni Art Show

Bellarmine is hosting its first alumni art show until Dec. 16 in McGrath Art Gallery. It features the work of approximately 30 Bellarmine alumni who graduated with a fine arts degree from 1977 to 2007. The showcased work includes paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography. A portion of the art is for sale.

If You Can Make It There, You Can Make It Anywhere

Bellarmine tied for second at the prestigious Mock Trial invitational tournament hosted by New York University in November. Bellarmine students competed against teams from Columbia, Cornell, Drake, Duke, Furman, Georgetown, George Washington, the Universities of California-Berkeley, Iowa, Redlands, and Virginia (the defending National Champions). Chelsea Brown, a member of Bellarmine’s team, also won individual distinction as an Outstanding Witness. The students who competed were Chelsea Brown, Ariel Edlin, Christopher Flood, Thomas Pedron, Danielle Reesor, and Staci Windsor.

Glenn a Beacon of Hope

Congratulations to December graduating senior Sarah Glenn upon winning the Learning Disability Association of Kentucky’s Beacon of Hope Award for an Adult with a Learning Disability. She was honored at the annual LDA of Kentucky Beacon of Hope Award dinner and ceremony in November.

Smith Joins 500 Club

In early November, the BU Knights defeated Limestone 80-69 to give Bellarmine women's basketball coach David Smith his 500th career victory. He is now one of only seven active Division II women’s basketball coaches to win 500 games. Congratulations, Coach Smith!

News from the Lansing School

Institute for Health and Wellness
Dr. Louis Heuser, Executive in Residence, is leading the efforts for development of health and wellness across the campus. Dr. Heuser has developed the curriculum with Dr. Mark Wiegand for the exercise science major; will offer a personal health and wellness course in the spring term as an elective; connecting with the athletic department for injury prevention and nutritional counseling; and working with Sodexho to have nutritional information on entrees readily available.

Nursing Department

Graduate, Master of Science in Nursing program
The family nurse practitioner program will offer two pilot courses in the spring 2008 semester. For information on the program or to register for the Spring courses contact Dr. Michael Huggins, X 3994 (272-7994) or mhuggins@bellarmine.edu.

Congratulations to Dr. Sherill Cronin and MSN graduate Mary Ellen Genardi upon their nomination by Thomas D. Kemtz, President, Norton Audubon Hospital for the Spirit of Excellence Award-Spirit of Quality for 2007.

Undergraduate, Bachelor's Degree in Nursing
Dr. Beverley Holland and the senior community health student presented a program at Staff Council, October 17, 2007 on the Nursing Clinic available on campus every Wednesday. This program is open to staff, students and faculty. Students provide health and wellness educational programs, blood-pressure screening, nutritional counseling, weight control strategies and information on stop-smoking programs.

Professor Brandy Henderson is working with senior community health nursing students at the Schnizelburg Senior Center. The students are delivering educational programs on health-related topics and conducing basic health checks.

Dr. Linda Cain took a group of undergraduate and graduate nursing students to Romania with a Mission group. The group consisted of six Bellarmine nursing students, Dr. Linda Cain and leaders from the Louisville organization Mission-Connect Romania. The team conducted mission work while the nursing students, with Dr. Cain, developed leadership projects that will lead to sustainability of the mission work.

Congratulations to Monica Key, Janice Morgan, and Dania Northcutt, BSN students on the publication of "Data Bites: Another Role for Aspirin?" in the Kentucky Nurse, October, November, December 2007 issue.

Physical Therapy

Congratulations to Professor Tony Brosky on being elected as a Delegate to the American Physical Therapy Association House of Delegates for 2008.

Congratulations to Dr. Patty Gillette and Dr. Gina Pariser, in conjunction with Dr. Stephen Winter and Mary Ann De Muro, for being funded by the American Association of Diabetes Educators for a diabetes research project.

Congratulations to DR. Joan Masters. Joan successfully defended her dissertation at the University of Louisville on November 8, 2007.

Mathieu Egea
Congratulations to Hannah Holler-Egea and Olivier Egea on the birth of their son Mathieu, who was born on November 21. Mother, father and baby are all doing well.