New Center Demonstrates University CARES about Service Region

Eastern Kentucky University CARES about its service region and Appalachia.

That’s the impetus behind the establishment of the Center for Appalachian Regional Engagement and Stewardship (CARES), a unified, comprehensive approach to stewardship and engagement that focuses on the five areas identified by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education: economic and workforce development, education, environment, collaborative government and health, wellness and safety.

CARES encompasses the work of the Center for Appalachian Studies, the Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship Program, Service Learning, PRISM: A Journal of Regional Engagement, the Kentucky Institute for Public Governance and Civic Engagement, the Office of Regional Stewardship and the Regional Extension Agent Program. The academic minors in Appalachian Studies and in Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship will also join the new center. CARES is housed in EKU’s Office of University Programs and will be headed by Ian Mooers, who also serves as director of the Center for Economic Development, Entrepreneurship and Technology, based at Eastern.

Dr. Sara Zeigler, dean of University Programs, said: “CARES represents EKU’s continued commitment to our service region, to Appalachia, and to educating people about the rich cultural heritage of the region. Because more money will be available to go directly into the communities, rather than operating multiple centers, CARES will enable EKU to use resources more efficiently and will provide a single point of contact for our regional engagement and stewardship efforts.”

 In addition to Mooers, whose focus will be economic and workforce development, CARES staff members and their respective focus areas will include Dr. Alice Jones, environment, academic minors and service learning; Dr. Joseph Gershtenson, collaborative government, internships and PRISM; Tom Parker, education; Karrie Adkins, health, wellness and safety; and the team of five community-based regional extension agents who, together, are responsible for connecting EKU resources to communities throughout the University’s service region.

Zeigler thanked Dr. Alan Banks, the retiring director of the Center for Appalachian Studies, for his many years of service.

One of the Center’s goals is to involve more faculty and students in internships and service-learning projects that will benefit communities throughout the area. Increased faculty involvement should lead to more grants.

 “I think we’ll be more visible in communities, doing things that make a more immediate impact,” Zeigler said.

A series of community forums will be scheduled this fall “to give us a chance to better understand community needs,” Mooers said.

The work of EKU’s five regional extension agents will continue largely unchanged, Mooers said, adding that gifted-and-talented programs organized by the agents throughout the region are proving very popular.

The five agents and their county coverage areas are: Vickie Moberly, Madison and Garrard; Mark Reese, Powell, Estill, Lee and Owsley; Michelle Allen, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Laurel, Jackson and Knox; David Gover, Boyle, Casey, Lincoln, Wayne, McCreary and Whitley; and Ryan Watts, Perry, Leslie, Harlan, Bell and Clay. For more information, visit extensionagents.eku.edu.

This summer, CARES will announce an opportunity for communities to apply for five $10,000 community-development grants, each centered on one of the Center’s five focus areas of regional stewardship. The extension agents will work with interested communities to help them organize project proposals and assist in planning and implementation.

For more information about how CARES can assist with community needs, contact Ian Mooers at 859-622-2334 or ian.mooers@eku.edu or Karrie Adkins at 859-622-6168 or karrie.adkins@eku.edu, or visit regionalstewardship.eku.edu/eku-cares.

Published on May 07, 2013

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McConnell Speaks about Life of Crittenden, Honors President Whitlock

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke at Eastern Kentucky University on Tuesday, March 26 about famous 19th century Kentuckian John J. Crittenden.

The afternoon program was part of the University’s year-long series in observance of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and part of a series of similar lectures McConnell is bringing at college and university campuses across the Commonwealth.

The senator also paid tribute to retiring EKU President Doug Whitlock. Recently, unbeknownst to Whitlock, McConnell delivered remarks on the Senate floor praising Whitlock’s years of service to the University. Afterward, McConnell had the page from the official Congressional Record placed in a gold frame, which he presented to Whitlock prior to the lecture.

Crittenden, born near Versailles, served in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as U.S. Attorney General. He was also the 17th governor of Kentucky and served in the General Assembly.

In his remarks, McConnell praised Crittenden for his tireless efforts to keep the Union together in the secession winter of 1860-61. The Crittenden family, as was the case with many families of the time, splintered when war tore the nation apart. One of his sons joined the Union army, while another joined the Confederate cause, each reaching the rank of major general.

A lifelong student of history who especially enjoys reading biographies, McConnell plans eventually to release a compilation of the lectures in book form. Last April, he delivered the first lecture of the series at Centre College; in September, he spoke at the Patterson School of Diplomacy at the University of Kentucky.

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McConnell Speaks about Life of Crittenden, Honors President Whitlock

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke at Eastern Kentucky University on Tuesday, March 26 about famous 19th century Kentuckian John J. Crittenden.

The afternoon program was part of the University’s year-long series in observance of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and part of a series of similar lectures McConnell is bringing at college and university campuses across the Commonwealth.

The senator also paid tribute to retiring EKU President Doug Whitlock. Recently, unbeknownst to Whitlock, McConnell delivered remarks on the Senate floor praising Whitlock’s years of service to the University. Afterward, McConnell had the page from the official Congressional Record placed in a gold frame, which he presented to Whitlock prior to the lecture.

Crittenden, born near Versailles, served in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as U.S. Attorney General. He was also the 17th governor of Kentucky and served in the General Assembly.

In his remarks, McConnell praised Crittenden for his tireless efforts to keep the Union together in the secession winter of 1860-61. The Crittenden family, as was the case with many families of the time, splintered when war tore the nation apart. One of his sons joined the Union army, while another joined the Confederate cause, each reaching the rank of major general.

A lifelong student of history who especially enjoys reading biographies, McConnell plans eventually to release a compilation of the lectures in book form. Last April, he delivered the first lecture of the series at Centre College; in September, he spoke at the Patterson School of Diplomacy at the University of Kentucky.

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Third-party comment about School of Education invited for Edinboro University accreditation visit

03/08/2013

The School of Education at Edinboro University will host an accreditation visit by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in October 2013. Interested parties are invited to submit comments to the visiting team.

Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered. They should specify the party's relationship to Edinboro, such as graduate, present or former faculty member, or employer of graduates.

Written testimony should be submitted to: Board of Examiners, NCATE, 2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1023.

Testimony may also be sent by e-mail to: https://owa.edinboro.edu/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx

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SGA Produces Video to Raise Awareness about Importance of Higher Education

The Student Government Association at Eastern Kentucky University has produced a video to raise awareness among elected leaders and the public about the importance of accessible and affordable higher education, especially for EKU students.

The video, which runs almost four minutes, features comments from seven Eastern students, including SGA President and Student Regent Madelyn Street, as well as from EKU President Doug Whitlock and two staff members. It can be viewed at vimeo.com/m/60347273.

The students talk about financial obstacles to completing a degree, and the role higher education plays in improving their lives.

“The Board of Student Body Presidents reached a decision late last semester to cancel our annual Rally for Higher Education that is hosted at the State Capitol,” Street said. “We decided that we would like to take a more personal and respectful approach to voicing our opinions to the state legislators. It was then decided that all eight public institutions would develop their own ways of getting our message across and voicing the opinions of our students. 

“I think that this approach shows that we (student government associations) are trying to take a more professional stance on the issue,” Street continued. “We are able to appeal to the legislators on a level that truly shows what we are trying to accomplish.”

In addition to Street, students featured on the video are: Matthew Greenleaf, John Perrin, Andrew Beasley, Madison Koller, Chris Ernste and Michael Deaton. Benton Shirey, director of academic advising, and Brandon Williams, assistant director for student rights and responsibilities, joined Whitlock in making comments. 

 The video idea was proposed, Street said, by SGA Treasurer Elizabeth Horn and then “immediately put into action” by the SGA Executive Cabinet. Street credited Brandon Shinkle for the video production.

“It is absolutely essential that our state government take into consideration how their cuts … place the burden on our students,” Street said, “especially at Eastern, because we pride ourselves in providing a low-cost education for students who wouldn't otherwise be able to receive a degree. We are the future of this state, and we will ultimately be the ones who contribute economically and socially to Kentucky’s well-being.

“As SGA President, I want to challenge the state to not only end higher education budget cuts, but to look at creating ways for our public institutions to begin receiving more funding. I am challenging them to come up with new and innovative ways to provide incentives for universities to earn more funding.”

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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian to Speak about Lincoln, Slavery at March 5 Lecture

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Dr. Eric Foner will examine “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” in a lecture at Eastern Kentucky University on Tuesday, March 5.

Foner, who also received the Lincoln Prize and the Bancroft Prize for his work, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in O’Donnell Hall of the Student Success Building. The event, part of EKU’s year-long Chautauqua series and the University’s year-long observance of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, is free and open to the public.

Foner, who will base his lecture on his 2010 book of the same title that earned the three awards, is one of only two persons to have served as president of three major professional history organizations – the Organization of American Historians, American Historical Association, and Society of American Historians – and one of only a handful to have received the Bancroft and Pulitzer prizes in the same year.

The talk, Foner said, “will trace the evolution of Lincoln’s ideas and policies relating to slavery and race in the United States, from his pre-Civil War political career through emancipation and discussions of the status of blacks in the post-war world. It will also examine his complex relationship with abolitionists and Radical Republicans, as well as the factors that impelled him forward toward issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.”

The Boston Globe called Foner’s book “a masterwork (by) the preeminent historian of the Civil War era,” and the New York Times Book Review selected “Fiery Trial” as a Notable Book of the Year.

Fellow historian and author David Brion Davis said, “While many thousands of books deal with Lincoln and slavery, Eric Foner has written the definitive account of this crucial subject, illuminating in a highly original and profound way the interactions of race, slavery, public opinion, politics and Lincoln’s own character that led the wholly improbable uncompensated emancipation of some four million slaves.”

Foner, the DeWitt Clinton professor of history at Columbia University, has authored many other books, including “Reconstruction: American’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877,” which also won a Bancroft Prize. In addition, he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs and lectured extensively.

The EKU lecture is also sponsored by The Office of the Associate Provost for Diversity Planning, Department of Government, Department of History, and the EKU Cultural Center.

To see the complete schedule of the 2012-13 EKU Chautauqua Lectures, visit www.chautauqua.eku.edu. For more information, contact Chautauqua Lecture Coordinator Dr. Minh Nguyen at minh.nguyen@eku.edu.

To learn more about EKU’s Civil War sesquicentennial observance, visit www.eku.edu/news/sesquicentennial or contact Dr. Tom Appleton at tom.appleton@eku.edu.

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SGA Produces Video to Raise Awareness about Importance of Higher Education

The Student Government Association at Eastern Kentucky University has produced a video to raise awareness among elected leaders and the public about the importance of accessible and affordable higher education, especially for EKU students.

The video, which runs almost four minutes, features comments from seven Eastern students, including SGA President and Student Regent Madelyn Street, as well as from EKU President Doug Whitlock and two staff members. It can be viewed at vimeo.com/m/60347273.

The students talk about financial obstacles to completing a degree, and the role higher education plays in improving their lives.

“The Board of Student Body Presidents reached a decision late last semester to cancel our annual Rally for Higher Education that is hosted at the State Capitol,” Street said. “We decided that we would like to take a more personal and respectful approach to voicing our opinions to the state legislators. It was then decided that all eight public institutions would develop their own ways of getting our message across and voicing the opinions of our students. 

“I think that this approach shows that we (student government associations) are trying to take a more professional stance on the issue,” Street continued. “We are able to appeal to the legislators on a level that truly shows what we are trying to accomplish.”

In addition to Street, students featured on the video are: Matthew Greenleaf, John Perrin, Andrew Beasley, Madison Koller, Chris Ernste and Michael Deaton. Benton Shirey, director of academic advising, and Brandon Williams, assistant director for student rights and responsibilities, joined Whitlock in making comments. 

 The video idea was proposed, Street said, by SGA Treasurer Elizabeth Horn and then “immediately put into action” by the SGA Executive Cabinet. Street credited Brandon Shinkle for the video production.

“It is absolutely essential that our state government take into consideration how their cuts … place the burden on our students,” Street said, “especially at Eastern, because we pride ourselves in providing a low-cost education for students who wouldn't otherwise be able to receive a degree. We are the future of this state, and we will ultimately be the ones who contribute economically and socially to Kentucky’s well-being.

“As SGA President, I want to challenge the state to not only end higher education budget cuts, but to look at creating ways for our public institutions to begin receiving more funding. I am challenging them to come up with new and innovative ways to provide incentives for universities to earn more funding.”

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