notesetc.umr.edu

We're experiencing our third winter storm of the year — with sleet mostly, but also a little snow. The sleet verges on freezing rain. What happens at Missouri University of Science & Technology when we have icy, slushy streets and sidewalks, with more sleet falling as I type?

Many faculty and some students live where it's dangerous or impossible to drive to campus. Walking, too, is hazardous when everything is coated with ice. It's fairly quiet in the department this morning, although I've seen four faculty members, and talked with three or four students. The department's administrative assistant, Linda Sands, lives several miles out in the country amid hills that, when the roady is iced over, make driving very hazardous. She's not here today.

The quiet and relatively few people are somewhat disconcerting. It's almost lonely.

I drove to campus, as I usually do, although I live within a 15 minute walk. I have walked to campus in worse weather than this, but . . . perhaps I have more (or less) sense.

Continue reading "Education in Winter" »

Posted by Gene Doty at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The spring 2008 semester for Missouri University of Science & Technology starts on Monday, January 14. Here it is, Saturday, January 12, and I'm putting together course materials. (I suspect I'm not alone in that!)

This is the university's first semester as Missouri S&T, rather than the University of Missouri - Rolla. We're all making the transition in how we refer to the campus, with some uncertainty whether it is "MST," "MS&T," or "Missouri S&T." Officially, "mst" is reserved for our email and Internet domain, not for print or speech. However, it's only three syllables versus four or seven in the other possibilities.

"S&T" is a good designation but a little too obscure right now. The Rolla Daily News uses it, so maybe it will spread.

I did quite a bit of class preparation back in December but still have plenty to do. I'm teaching Creative Writing for the first time in several years and using Blackboard for the first time for that class.

For a department chair, preparing for a new semester means much more than writing up (or revising) the course syllabus. It also means making sure all the courses taught by the department have teachers assigned to them, that everyone has appropriate office space, that the courses have sufficient enrollment.

In fact, I've been constructing the class schedule for the fall 2008 semester.

My colleagues in the department are doing their preparations (or have already completed them); some of my students have already visited Blackboard. Unfortunately, there won't be much there until sometime late today or tomorrow.

Enrollment for this spring semester is slightly higher than for last spring. This weekend, the population of Rolla will expand by several thousand. The campus has felt very empty recently; that changes soon.

Posted by Gene Doty at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This afternoon, Missouri University of Science & Technology's chancellor, John F. Carney III, delivered his fifth semi-annual State of the University speech. A high point was Tom Shipley's brief documentary on Missouri S&T's entry in last summer's human-powered vehicle contest. The vehicle was designed and built by UMR — pardon me — Missouri S&T's Human-Powered Vehicle Team, a part of the campus's Student Design and Experiential Learning Center. Shipley's film is tight and clean and the source of the title of this entry: it takes a team and a lot of effort for someone to pedal a little over 59 mph.

Yes, I jumped the gun on the name-change from University of Missouri - Rolla to Missouri University of Science & Technology. But that particular gun is being jumped more and more often. Why not me?

• First, I admire the student design teams, having known students in them in my own classes.
• Second, our department is a vital part of the campus and its endeavors, as Chancellor Carney noted early in his state of the university talk. The chancellor reminded the audience forcefully that, while he would talk mostly about scientific and technological matters, he did not want to overlook the humanities, the social sciences, or the business program.
• Third, there are numerous ways, many yet to be discovered, in which the scholars, teachers and students of our department can relate to the campus's major thrust. One important way is to pursue our own research and teaching interests with energy and imagination. Our efforts do contribute to the overall accomplishments of the campus. Another way is participation of our students and faculty in projects of other departments and organizations.

Enough with metaphor and analogy! The university is not a bicycle in an aerodynamic cocoon, with its power-source, a student, concealed inside: the university is a complex enterprise, dependent on everyone, everything, every place that make it up. Ending his talk, the chancellor called on the university to focus on our world's needs for energy and environmental renewal. Those of us who work with words and images can contribute our knowledge, skills, wit, and wisdom to that project.

Posted by Gene Doty at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday was Unity Day on the UMR (MST) campus. The event celebrated diversity through the arts — including the art of cooking, one of my favorite arts.

I was vaguely aware of Unity Day, something that happens around twice a semester. The event was in the atrium of the Havener Center; I had a 12:00-1:00 meeting in a room on the second floor, close to the atrium. When I walked into the Havener for the meeting and saw the tables of food, I knew I had come too late. The meeting went well, but we could hear music, cheers, and singing from the open space just outside the closed doors to our meeting room.

When the meeting was over, I walked out and looked over the railing, into the atrium. Two young women were dancing. I couldn't see well, being above them at a sharp angle. They were dressed in soft gray and white clothing. The dance involved their mirroring each others' gestures as far as I could see. From my impression, the dance expressed a kind of focused grace, a strong quiet.

After that dance, I walked down the stairs, still hoping for some food. The next act was a step show by the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha. Stepping is an African American art form, the steppers moving in unison, often in a close line. The moves are strong, with stamping and powerful arm gestures. The steppers express strength and unity. If you've never seen a step show, I recommend you do if you have the chance. There's a stepping contest in Spike Lee's movie, School Daze. (I googled Spike Lee and
School Daze and decided to let you find your own links if you're interested.)

And, yes, I did score some food: two wonderful egg rolls.

Posted by Gene Doty at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)