Nov. 15 SHSU Campus News Update

• Big upset in computing science world
• Christmas cantata performance set for Tuesday
• Opera highlights "After Dinner Theater"
• Hearings scheduled on self-studies
• 'Hamlet' set for SHSU stage
• The Wood/Henry Duo to perform
• Thibodeaux named associate dean
• Math professor wins national honor
• Journalism Career Day set for Tuesday
• CPAs offer career presentation
• Seminar for women entrepreneurs set
• Collins to participate in national meeting
• More briefs

The Sam Houston team of Bob Farmer, Samira Noman and Janel Barfield, coached by computing science faculty members Johnny and Jan Carroll, finished second to a University of Texas (Austin) team, and ahead of teams from such universities as Rice, University of Houston, Texas Tech, A&M, Oklahoma, TCU, Tulane and LSU.

The SHSU team solved three of six problems during a five-hour contest. UT won by solving five, 18 teams solved two, 26 teams solved one, and 26 teams could not solve any of the problems.

Their second place finish in the regional contest conducted by IBM and the Association of Computing Machinery qualifies the SHSU team to compete against 57 other teams at the international finals in the Netherlands April 8-12, 1999.

The team's success was not unprecedented. The 1996 team, which also included Farmer, finished third regionally.

Christmas cantata performace set for Tuesday

The event will be the 25th annual fall concert of the Huntsville Community Choral Society, in conjunction with the Sam Houston State University Symphonic Chorus and the Huntsville Children's Choir.

Soloists will include Julianne Best (soprano), Wayne Barrett (tenor), and Robert Best (baritone), with direction by Brian Miller, director of Choral Studies at SHSU, and accompaniment by an orchestra of SHSU faculty and students.

Participants will include George and Elsie Vick, who sang in a 1941 community/college production of "Messiah," Harley Rex, founder of the Huntsville Community Chorus in 1974, and Elsie Kramer, wife of the 1941 performance conductor William Kramer.

Admission is $8 (general), $5 (SHSU faculty and students), and $3 (seniors and children). The performance is sponsored in part by the Huntsville Arts Commission.

Opera and Dessert

The operas, Wolfgang Mozart's "The Impresario" and Thomas Pasatieri's "Signor Deluso," will be performed in English by members of the SHSU Opera Workshop with accompaniment from the SHSU Chamber Orchestra.

General admission tickets are $8. Student and senior tickets are $4. Call 409-294-1395 or 409-294-1360 to reserve tickets.

Hearings Scheduled on Self-Studies

The SACS hearing is scheduled for the Lowman Student Center Auditorium, with the NCAA hearing in room 304 of the Lowman Student Center.

Campus committees under the direction of Jim Goodwin (SACS) and Tom Davis (NCAA) have been working for months compiling material for the reports, which will be corrected, if necessary, and submitted to the two agencies in December. Accreditation teams from two organizations will visit the SHSU campus March 8-11, 1999.

"We strongly urge all members of the university community at the very least to review those sections of these documents related to their particular areas of interest," said Goodwin. "We also encourage anyone connected to the university who would like to participate in the hearings to do so."

"The NCAA self-study has revealed many aspects of the program worthy of praise as well as identified areas where improvements need to be made," said Davis. "Where problems have been discovered, recommendations have been made for solving them."

Goodwin and Davis said that copies of the draft report are available in the Newton Gresham Library, in the SACS Self-Study Office (AB3 217), and on the SHSU Internet home page. Use these links to the NCAA draft report and the SACS draft report.

'Hamlet' Set for SHSU Stage

Performances are scheduled for the University Theatre Center Mainstage at 8 each evening with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee.

Tickets are $10 general admission or $8 with SHSU or senior citizen ID. Group rates are available. For information/reservations call 409-294-1339.

The Wood/Henry Duo

Rich Wood (guitar) and Jamie Henry (flute), have performed in coffee shops, concert halls, public schools, and on live public radio broadcasts, and will appear in concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 15) in the Recital Hall.

Wood is an instructor of guitar at SHSU and is director of the Childbloom Guitar Program in New Braunfels, where he teaches children between the ages of 5 and 12. Henry has performed with orchestras in East Texas and Louisiana and teaches privately.

The duo's performance will include Carulli's "Fantasy for Flute and Guitar, Op. 337," Giuliani's "Grand Sonata for Flute and Guitar, Op. 85," Domeniconi's "Sonatina Mexicana," Schickele's "Windows," Byrd's "Three Blues," and Piazzolla's "Histoire du Tango."

Admission to the concert is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free for SHSU and other students.

Thibodeaux Named Associate Dean

Thibodeaux, who will begin preparing for his new half-time assignment in the spring semester, will replace James Goodwin, who plans to retire at the end of the first summer semester in July, 1999.

Chris Baldwin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said that Thibodeaux's duties will include coordinating student advising for the university and working on retention of students. He will also work with Student Life on the summer New Student Orientation program.

Thibodeaux is a native of the Lyons Point community near Crowley, La. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from McNeese State University and his doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Before coming to SHSU in 1987, he taught and coached in Lake Charles area high schools and at McNeese.

Math Professor Wins National Honor

The award was announced at the association's 24th Annual Conference of American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges.

The association said that Foley was selected based on national reputation, leadership and activities in professional organizations, professional talks and presentations, awards and grants, publications, professional activities on regional, state, and national scales, teaching expertise, and other contributions to mathematics or mathematics education.

Foley, who has taught at the college level for 21 years, has been principal investigator in sponsored projects receiving over $500,000 in funding and co-investigator in projects receiving over $1.4 million in grants.

A current project in which Foley is involved is the formation of a coalition of two and four-year colleges directed toward the improvement of math education for students preparing to teach math in elementary schools.

Foley has taught and lectured at mini-courses and workshops throughout the United States, including an Ohio State University College Technology Short Course for Mathematics Teacher Educators held at SHSU last spring.

Journalism Career Day

The students will meet with nine media professionals, representing seven specialties, to learn about various careers in the media. Each high school student will have the opportunity to hear about three different media vocations from these experts.

The media experts are: Ken Belieki, group planning director, Fogarty & Klein, Houston; Mike Barger, KWTX-TV, Waco; Tom Seifert, associate professor of photography, SHSU; Mark Kramer, writer, Gulf Coast Golfer and North Texas Golfer; Kathy Walt, Austin Bureau, Houston Chronicle; Hal Foster, Warner visiting professor of journalism, SHSU; David Einsel, photographer, Houston Chronicle; Todd McLemore, BBDO public relations, Houston; Amy Demasi, PR Newswire, Houston.

Following their meetings with the media pros, the high school students will tour the facilities of the Department of Public Communication in the Dan Rather Communications Building.

Many of the students have also sent in entries for the SHSU high school journalism contest. Awards will be given for the best high school newspaper, best high school yearbook, and best photos in three categories.

Early arriving students can also participate in a news lead writing contest. Winners will be announced at the end of the event on Tuesday.

'My Work As A CPA'

The presentation is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the Smith-Hutson Business Building Mafrige Auditorium. Accounting students and anyone interested in knowing more about the profession are invited. There is no admission fee.

Panelists include SHSU grads John Thomas DuPree, who now has his own company, and Allen Fletcher, who works for Mir Fox & Rodriguez, and Michael D. Viator, past president of the Houston chapter.

Other panelists and their affiliations include Leslie A. Berardo (Mir Fox & Rodriguez), John Alan Braden (John A. Braden & Company, P.C.), Gary R. Gardner (Alfred Zientek & Co., P.C.), Martin Houk (Mann Frankfort Stein & Lipp, P.C.), Stanley H. Voelkel II (Stanley H. Voelkel II, CPA), and Barry Eugene Wilken (International Cellulose Corp.).

Seminar for Women Entrepreneurs

The program is set for Monday (Nov. 16) from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Edward Jones Investments office, Suite 120 of the Barrett Building in Huntsville. The Barrett Building is adjacent to the Huntsville Post Office and First National Bank of Huntsville.

Program topics will include resources and requirements for different types of financing. For more information, contact Terry Blaylock at 409-294-3737.

Collins to Participate in National Meeting

Collins will present a program on Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union address, lead and serve as respondent on a Nov. 23 program on the Promise Keepers movement, and serve as respondent on a Nov. 24 program on "Negotiating Between Cultures."

She will also participate in three meetings of the association's legislative council, of which she is a member.

Briefs

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Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Nov. 15, 1998
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu