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SHSU Update For Week Of Dec. 5
- ECollege VP To Present On Upcoming Online Changes
- Theatre To Visit ‘Women Of Lockerbie’
- Senior Concert To Show ‘Writing On The Wall’
- International Caroling To Celebrate Season
- Graduating Seniors To Host Final SHSU Exhibit
- LSC Gallery To Feature Area Artists
- Planetarium Series To Explore Space Program History
- Honorary Societies Induct French, Spanish Students
- Calendar Information Sought For Spring
- Send Update Items Here
ECollege VP To Present On Upcoming Online Changes
Adrian Sannier, vice president of product at Pearson eCollege, will discuss the upcoming changes to eCollege, the Learning Management System used for SHSU’s online courses, on Monday (Dec. 6).
The presentation will begin at 2:30 p.m. in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room C070. An overflow room will also be available in CHSS C090.
Pearson Learning Studio will release the new homepage with design partners in January, which will provide a “new student-centric experience” that “brings the key areas of the system to the front of the course fostering student interaction and engagement” and will be set up like Facebook, according to the studio.
In addition to his work with Pearson eCollege, Sannier is a professor in the division of computing studies at Arizona State University.
Prior to joining eCollege, Sannier was the university technology officer at ASU whose leadership allowed ASU to transform its information technology operation by aggressively embracing cloud-based computing services such as Google Apps for Education and Amazon's AWS.
The eCollege system has been used at SHSU since the fall 2009 semester.
Pearson eCollege is a Pearson Education company that creates, services and powers online programs globally.
The event is open to all faculty, administrators, and students.
For more information, contact Trina Strange, administrative coordinator for SHSU Online, at 936.294.2779 or trina@shsu.edu.
Theatre To Visit ‘Women Of Lockerbie’
The SHSU theatre and dance department will showcase the story of Pan Am flight 103, which crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, with its presentation of Deborah Brevoort’s “The Women of Lockerbie,” Wednesday through Saturday (Dec. 8-11).
Performances will begin at 8 p.m. each evening, with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee, in the University Theatre Center’s Showcase Theatre.
Directed by senior theatre major Jeremy Brown, “The Women of Lockerbie” is loosely based on a true story.
In the play, a New Jersey mother, who has gone to find her son’s remains in the hills, meets the women of Lockerbie who have been battling the United States government to acquire the clothing from those lost in the crash.
They wish, in an act of love, to wash the clothing of the deceased and return them to the families.
“The Women of Lockerbie” received a silver medal in the Onassis International Playwriting Competition and the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays award.
The cast includes theatre majors Allegra Fox, Raven Garcia, Sara Luke, Josh Moore, Daniel Nepveux and Nyseli Vega, as well as musical theatre major Victoria Villarreal.
Senior theatre major Brianna Buth is stage manager.
Designers include senior theatre majors Kayce Walters (scenes) and Shannon Parker (lights), junior theatre education major Heather Limmer (costumes), junior theatre major Vilija Tuminas (props), and sophomore theatre major Ryan Brazil (sound).
Tickets are $8 for general admission. Group rates are also available.
Children under the age of three are not admitted to theatre performances.
For more information, call the University Theatre Center Box Office at 936.294.1339.
Senior Concert To Show ‘Writing On The Wall’
Graduating seniors in Sam Houston State University’s dance program will present an evening of original works on Dec. 14-15 in the Performing Arts Center Dance Theater.
Each evening’s performances, which will begin at 8 p.m. and are entirely produced by the students, will feature nine original works that range from edgy and athletic to quirky and fun, according to Andy Noble, assistant professor of dance.
Among the performances featured in “The Writing’s on the Wall” senior studio performance is Danielle Gonzaba’s “Harmonic Rift,” a trio developed by two dancers and a live musician.
“This piece shows the interaction between music and dance by amplifying their cohesive bond and exemplifying their playful individualities,” Gonzaba said.
Jessica Cantu’s “Let Me Catch My Breath” uses breath as a sound score as the dancers explore ideas of life and loss.
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” Crystal Scott’s “Plutonian Shore” is a trio comprised of distorted and macabre movement representing the turmoil of a mind, she said.
Along the same lines of this twisted psychology is Michelle Johnson’s latest work, “Faim Déformée,” in which six dancers showcase dark personalities in their intense and frantic hunt for sustenance.
The concert will close with “Desensitization,” choreographed by Domonique Davon Baxter.
“This piece showcases the struggle of overcoming obstacles, which can consume us in our daily lives,” Noble said.
The concert, which serves as partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in dance, also features four additional works by Dana Murray, Sara Murray, Heresia Hayes and Katie McMann.
Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for senior citizens and students. They can be purchased by calling the PAC Box Office at 936.294.2339.
For more information about “The Writing’s on the Wall,” contact the dance program at 936.294.1875.
International Caroling To Celebrate Season
The foreign languages department will wish faculty, staff and students a “Feliz Navidad,” “Frohe Weihnachten” and “Joyeux Noël” through the singing of holiday carols on Monday (Dec. 6).
The fourth annual multi-lingual caroling and reception will begin at noon in the vestibule in front of the Academic Building IV Olson Auditorium.
International carols, as well as translations of traditional American carols, will be sung in French, Spanish, German, Arabic, American Sign Language, Japanese and Chinese. Translations will be provided for the audience.
These include traditional French carols such as "Viens, peuple fidèle;" the German “Ein kleiner weißer Schneemann,” sung to the melody of “Jingle Bells;” and translations of holiday favorites such as “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night” and “O Christmas Tree,” sung in all of the languages offered by SHSU’s foreign languages department.
Christmas cookies and cocoa will also be served.
For more information, call the foreign languages department at 936.294.1441.
Graduating Seniors To Host Final SHSU Exhibit
The culmination of the work of some of SHSU’s art students during their time in college will be on display in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery Dec. 13-18.
The Graduating Senior Exhibition will feature a variety of work from the fall Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidates, according to Debbie Harper, art department audio/visual librarian.
A closing reception will be held immediately following the graduation ceremony on Dec. 18 for the graduates and their family and friends, as well as the public. Refreshments will be served.
The Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, located in Art Building F, is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, call the art department at 936.294.1317 or visit http://www.shsu.edu/~gallery/.
LSC Gallery To Feature Area Artists
SHSU and local artists will present their works during two exhibits in the Lowman Student Center Art Gallery beginning Monday (Dec. 6).
“We Art Here,” the annual Student Art Association juried show, will be held through Dec. 11.
The exhibit will showcase student photos, graphics, paintings, sculpture, ceramics and animations created by art majors and minors who compete for a $250 “Best of Show” award. The show will be judged by local painter Kat Black.
A reception will be held on Thursday (Dec. 9), from 6-8 p.m.
For more information, contact Stephen Lee, Student Art Association president, at SHSUSAA@gmail.com.
From Dec. 13-18, the Huntsville Art League will display various works in an exhibit coordinated by Barbara Tyson.
The LSC Art Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Art from both exhibits will be available for purchase.
For more information contact Gayle Bullard, LSC reservation coordinator, at 936.294.1760 or bullard@shsu.edu.
Planetarium Series To Explore Space Program History
The SHSU physics department will take audiences on “The Great Space Race,” highlighting the stories of the United States and Russian space programs with its final two planetarium series program showings on Tuesday (Dec. 7) and Dec. 14.
Written by high school students in Utah, the presentations will begin at 7 p.m. in Farrington Building Room 102.
“‘The Great Space Race’ tells the story of the U.S. and Russian space programs, from Sputnik to the ISS missions following the Columbia disaster,” said Michael Prokosch, physics department staff laboratory assistant. “Guests get to hear and see more of what the Soviet space program was up to during the Apollo era and before.”
In addition, Prokosch will show participants which constellations they can expect to see in the fall skies—Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Andromeda—as well as Jupiter, which is visible for the next six months.
“These are the main characters in the movie ‘Clash of the Titans,’” he said. “I will also show guests how to find Comet 103P/Hartley 2. It will be visible with binoculars through the end of November. Also, now and for the next six months is the best time to look at Jupiter.”
“The Great Space Race” is a family show, with “something for everyone,” Prokosch said, adding that audiences are invited to stay after the hour-long presentation to ask questions or discuss events covered during the program.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact Prokosch at 936.294.3664 or visit the Planetarium WikiPage at http://shsu-planetarium.wikispaces.com/.
Honorary Societies Induct French, Spanish Students
Twenty-one students were recently inducted into two of Sam Houston State University’s foreign language honorary societies.
Nine of the students became regular members of Pi Delta Phi, the French honorary society, on Nov. 9 in a ceremony conducted by the Eta Iota chapter president Brittany Waguespack.
They include Lucas Babin, Jillianne Baker, Marisa Eaves, Caroline Furey, Joanne Iglesias, Brittany Kiser, Benjamin Montes, Kayla Russell and Khayla Soto.
Pi Delta Phi recognizes outstanding scholarship in the French language and its literatures, according to foreign languages department chair Debra Andrist.
Regular members include graduate and undergraduate students nominated in recognition of their academic achievement in at least one semester of upper division French with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in French.
The group is sponsored by Shirin Edwin, assistant professor of French.
On Nov. 18, the officers of Sigma Delta Pi, the Spanish honorary society, inducted 12 students into its organization.
They include Ruth Alvarado, Maria de Lourdes Argelles Siller, Virginia Cela, Jéssica Garcia, Elizabeth Graham, Rachel Kimpan, Benjamín Andrew Montes, Diana Ramos, Cristine Rodríguez, Ana Celia Santana, Idalia Summers and Ruby Zamudio.
Membership in Sigma Delta Pi is limited to students who have demonstrated high scholarship in general and excellence in the academic study of Spanish, Andrist said.
Candidates must have completed 18 semester credit hours of college-level Spanish, have a minimal grade point average of 3.0 in all Spanish courses taken, rank in the upper 35 percent of his/her class, and have completed at least three semesters college work.
Kay Raymond, associate professor of Spanish and director of undergraduate studies, is the Sigma Delta Pi sponsor.
Calendar Information Sought For Spring
The University Communications Office is currently collecting information on campus events for its spring calendar pages.
Send your departmental calendars or events to today@sam.edu or jenniferg@shsu.edu, or by fax to 294.1834. Please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.
Information collected for the Today@Sam calendar pages, at /calendars/, is used by various media outlets, as well as our own office for news stories and releases.
It is requested that information be sent to the office (to Julia, Jennifer or through the e-mail link on Today@Sam) a minimum of a full week in advance in order to make necessary contacts and write a story.
For more information, call 936.294.1836.
Send Update Items Here
Information for the SHSU Update can be sent to the Office of Communications electronically at Today@Sam.edu or to any of the media contacts listed below.
Please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.
All information for news stories should be sent to the office at least a week in advance to give the staff ample time to make necessary contacts and write the story.
For electronic access to SHSU news see the Communications Web page Today@Sam.
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SHSU Media Contacts: Bruce Erickson, Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
Dec. 3, 2010
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
This page maintained by SHSU's Communications Office
Director: Bruce Erickson
Assistant Director: Julia May
Writer: Jennifer Gauntt
Located in the 115 Administration Building
Telephone: 936.294.1836; Fax: 936.294.1834
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.
