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.
Burchard Named As KMTA 2008 Commissioned Composer
Congratulations to Richard Burchard upon his selection by
the Kentucky Music Teachers Association to write a commissioned work
for performance at its 2008 conference. Following the premiere
performance of the composition, it will be submitted to a distinguished
panel of recognized composers who will select the Music Teachers
National Association Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year from
all of the 2008 state commissioned works produced throughout the United
States. The winning composition is presented in a concert performance
at the MTNA National Conference.
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.