The long road has came to an end for the athletic director search committee.  President Scanlon announced David Williams as Western’s new AD on March 7.  Scanlon offered  Western’s sixth AD position in history to Williams on Thursday morning and he accepted the position later that day. 

Williams will start May 1 at the latest and said he expects to be on campus much sooner. The seven-month process that started over once and reached another dead end, is finally concluded by the Friday press conference and contract agreement.

Williams received his bachelor’s in physical education and his master’s in educational administration at North Dakota State. 

Williams has the credentials to potentially be a very good leader for Westerns athletic department. He has sustained roles as the AD at UW-P since 2001. Williams was an assistant basketball coach at Augustana (S.D.), North Dakota State and Parkside, before entering administration.   (Full story)

The student chapter of Western’s Wildlife Society has recently been honored as the student chapter of the year for the North Central Section of the Wildlife Society.

Mike Voltz, president of the Wildlife Society, said that traditionally, a certificate is presented to the representatives of the student chapter at the North Central Section of the Wildlife Society business meeting, which took place this year in Madison, Wis.

“Winners also receive up to $1,000 for travel to the business meeting,” Voltz said.

This award required several standards that Western’s student chapter met exclusively. (Full story)

The year was 1970 when Richard Nixon was president and the Vietnam War was still being fought.

It was also the year Richard Boutwell, associate professor of biology, became a member of the Western faculty.
He remembers a Western that was recently constructed when he first walked up the sidewalk to Agenstein Hall.
“There was no grass, only four buildings and no dorms,” Boutwell said.

Western had just moved from downtown St. Joseph to its current location when he first started teaching here.
At the end of this semester Western will bid farewell to Boutwell.

Last summer he made the decision to retire after 38 years of teaching here at Western. “Out of all the other members of the faculty who came to Western in 1970 I’m the last to go,” Boutwell said. (Full story)

 So the saying goes, those who can, do; and those who can’t do, teach. That saying couldn’t be further from the truth here at Missouri Western. In all actuality those who teach do spectacular work, as well as inspire.

 At the faculty art exhibit that opened on Feb. 7 in Potter Hall’s art gallery 206, this statement becomes reality. Several members of the Missouri Western art department came together to display works of their own that they feel will both impress and inspire their students. One member of the art department faculty who exhibited work was Geo Sipp, associate professor of art. Sipp is in charge of the paint section of the art department, and he makes that obvious with his brilliant pieces done with vibrant color.

Sipp believes that with art you have to find yourself in the art. (Full story)

 February stands for more than just candy hearts and flowers, it means history and heritage. To a group on campus called the Center for Multicultural Education, February is a month to spread knowledge about black history.    Since November a group of students and faculty have been getting together to plan Black History Month. Led by staff member Tay Triggs the CME and its dedicated group of interns have come together to organize events that in their hopes, will inform and educate students at Missouri   Western about African American culture.   Helping Triggs are four interns: Emily Feger, Mark Gomez, Ivory Duncan and Pam Covarrubias. Covarrubias is a first-year intern who was put in charge of planning the Black Heritage Ball as well as other Black History Month events planned by the CME. Since November, Covarrubias and the other three interns, along with several other clubs and organizations have come together to plan and organize these events. The ball held on Feb. 2 hosted many activities exploring black history and culture.  (Full story)

  The announcement by congressional leaders about the proposed tax rebate has created mixed reactions from students and faculty here at Missouri Western.  Reza Hamzaee, professor of economics, didnít think fondly of this idea.    ”This is an irresponsible act in my opinion,” Hamzaee said.   Hamzaee compared it to having a headache and instead of taking one aspirin and waiting for results, taking the whole bottle hoping for a quick fix.   ”One more time they are bribing the voters,” Hamzaee said, recalling that the last rebate announcement was also in an election year.    Republicans want Americans to see them as the party that gives back to the people, whether the people need it or not.   ”Rebates should go to people that earn under $40,000 to $50,000,” Hamzaee said.    (Full story)

The Instructional Media Center at Western is going through some changes in the structure of the office.
Its director, Max Schlesinger, is retiring in January.

Western has no immediate plans to replace him and his duties are being passed on to a triumvirate of office managers.
“I have worked in education for roughly 36 years,” Schlesinger said. “I believe it is time for someone to come in and move the I.M.C. further into the new technology. Purists like me sometimes have difficulty dealing with all this new technology.”
Schlesinger is confident in the manager’s ability to run the day-to-day operations of the I.M.C. but feels there is another question involved with his departure. (Full story)