News and Events
Wednesday Memo
October 15, 2008
| Ground-breaking for new residence hall takes place | Observatory dedication a Founders’ Day highlight |
Moshkovich presented with University Scholar Award | Vaughn receives first Faculty Service Award |
Former Board of Trustees member recognized | UM National Alumni Association Awards presented at 112th Founders’ Day | Scott Turner wins Life Raft Debate |
Ground-breaking for new residence hall takes place
The official ground-breaking ceremony for a new residence hall on the UM campus took place Thursday, Oct. 9, as part of the University of Montevallo’s 112th Founders’ Day celebration.
Pictured at the event, from left, are UM Board of Trustees member Jeanetta Keller, University President Philip C. Williams, UM Board of Trustees member Wynelle Sewell, UM Board of Trustees member David Wheeler, Student Trustee Laura Morgan and Alex Dudchock, county manager for Shelby County. Residence hall staff members, in red shirts, are pictured in the background.
The facility, which will be constructed near Peck Hall, will help meet the immediate need for new student housing that has been identified by numerous UM stakeholders as a top priority, said UM President Philip C. Williams. This summer, UM’s Board of Trustees authorized a bond issue to finance the project, estimated at $8.5 million.
Measuring 65,000 square feet, the new residence hall will feature suite-style living. Each suite will be about 1,000 square feet with four bedrooms, a kitchenette, refrigerator, microwave, a common living area and two bathrooms, said David Pritchett ’84, director of the UM physical plant. In addition, “on each floor, there will be a larger kitchen and study rooms,” he said. Downstairs, laundry facilities and a large multi-purpose room have been drawn into the plans submitted by Williams-Blackstock architectural firm. The building will feature wireless and wired Internet options.
“There will be four students per suite, with each having a private bedroom, and two bathrooms per suite, with two people sharing one bathroom,” said Pritchett. The facility will accommodate both women and men, segregated by suite.
“Overall, this will look like a Montevallo building, with columns, brick exterior and paned windows,” Pritchett said.
The new residence hall is expected to be completed in 11 months. It should be ready for occupancy by fall 2009. The new structure is “the beginning of a long list of new buildings and renovations” planned on campus over the next six years, Pritchett explained.
Construction of the new residence hall is Phase 1 of a three-phase plan. Phase 2 will be a facility that is a “mirror image” of Phase 1. Phase 3 will be a larger, 253-bed structure.
Doster Construction will serve as general contractor for Phase 1 of the project.
To follow construction progress, go to www.montevallo.edu/physicalplant/NewResidenceHall/default.shtm.
Observatory dedication a Founders’ Day highlight
The James Wylie Shepherd Observatory at the University of Montevallo was dedicated at Founders’ Day, Thursday, Oct. 9.
Present for the dedication were project donor Jim Shepherd (fourth from left in photo), as well as his father James Wylie Shepherd (fifth from left), for whom the observatory has been named. Also pictured are, from left, University President Philip C. Williams, philosophy professor Michael Patton, mathematics associate professor Michael Sterner and members of the Shepherd family.
When completed later this year, the facility will provide incomparable observing and educational opportunities. Located three miles from the main campus at the University’s 150-acre Gentry Springs property, the JWSO will feature a state-of-the-art Meade 20 inch RCX 400 Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien telescope installed in a fully robotic 20.5 foot diameter observatory dome. The remote location provides ideal dark skies, far removed from city lights, and offers spectacular views of any part of the night sky.
When further planned development is completed, the Observatory Complex will offer the region’s premiere completely accessible telescope as well as an outdoor planetarium/amphitheatre, educational exhibits and a visitor center in which groups can see images generated by the main telescope. Additional smaller scopes for solar and planetary observing will be placed at various locations outside the main dome.
For additional information, construction photos and giving information, go to www.shepherdobservatory.org.
Moshkovich presented with University Scholar Award
Helen Moshkovich (pictured on the left), associate professor, was honored as the University Scholar for 2008 at the University’s annual Founders’ Day celebration. The award is given in recognition of significant contributions to scholarship and creative endeavor — contributions clearly connected to the recipient’s teaching and service, as well.
The designation came as no surprise to many on campus, especially to her colleagues in the Stephens College of Business. Moshkovich is well known for the depth and breadth of her research. She is author or co-author of more than 35 refereed publications in English and about 30 refereed publications in Russian, her native language. Supportive of UM’s Undergraduate Research program and the McNair Scholars program, Moshkovich mentored two students whose work ended as full-scale research publications in refereed journals.
Moshkovich is co-founder of a new research methodology called “verbal decision analysis,” first published in a monograph by Kluwer Academic Publishers. She has continued to advance that methodology in later publications.
An internationally recognized scholar, she was presented the Best Theoretical/Empirical Research Paper Award at a national meeting of the Decision Science Institute. The institute brings together about 1,500 business faculty representing the best researchers in the operations management field. Last year, she was invited to participate in the Brazilian Society of Operations Research Symposium to present new results in verbal decision analysis, with the inviting institution covering all of her travel expenses. She is the author of three research books, one summarizing 15 years of her findings published by Kluwer Publishers. She is a member of the editorial review boards for two scholarly journals and is a reviewer for six others.
Moshkovich is a member of the Decision Sciences Institute and the International Society on Multiple Criteria Decision Making. She is state co-director of the website for the American Association of University Women and is a former corresponding secretary of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary for women educators.
Moshkovich, who has been a member of the Montevallo faculty since 2001, received her master’s degree from Moscow State University and her Ph.D. degree from the Institute for Systems Analysis of the Russian Academy of Science.
The recipient of a number of research grants from UM, she is married to Dr. Alexander Mechitov, professor of business at Montevallo and the 2003–2004 University Scholar. They have one son, Kirill, who is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in computer science from the University of Illinois.
Vaughn receives first Faculty Service Award
The first Faculty Service Award, given by the Faculty Senate, was presented this year to Susan Vaughn (pictured on the right in the photo at left), professor of social work. The purpose of the award is to recognize a professor’s dedication to the provision of service and his/her impact upon the University community. This person must have demonstrated exemplary service to the University at all levels.
This year’s honoree exceeds the requirements. Vaughn has a record of 34 years of service to the University in areas such as chair of the behavioral and social sciences department, chair of the University steering committee for SACS reaccreditation, faculty adviser for the Alabama Arise chapter, and work on many, many committees. Her work has benefited colleagues, staff, the community, and always, always students. One who recommended her for the award said that her service record reads more like a list of opportunities for service than a record of involvement.
Vaughn, who earned the B.A. from the University of Montevallo, the M.S.W. from the University of Alabama and the Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, has a unique style that allows her to be outspoken with well-placed criticism, yet she never leaves room for doubt regarding her loyalty to and love for the University and its students. She has a direct, no-nonsense approach that accompanies a compassionate heart, working every day to make things better. As a social worker she translates her compassion into practical applications of assistance, having taken the professional mantle of caring and nurturing and given that an institutional dimension that has made the university a better place.
As one who recommended her put it, “Susan has served this university loyally and with distinction and will leave such a fine legacy. She never hesitates to communicate about ways to improve the university and is willing to do the work as well.”
Perhaps the greatest testament to her is the praise from her own behavioral and social sciences department faculty, which she served as chair for 12 years. This large department is made up of a diverse set of disciplines, each with its own unique goals, demands and needs. In this unique department, Vaughn was able to set high standards while creating an environment in which the members of BSS were able to grow personally and professionally. This was true even during the lean times.
As one appreciative of her work noted, “Susan’s service to the university is her gift to the future of the institution. Her gift of service has made a difference to this campus. It is a better place, there is a better future for students and colleagues because of her work.”
Former Board of Trustees member recognized
Special recognition was made at this year’s Founders’ Day convocation to Frank C. Ellis Jr., who recently completed his term of service on the University of Montevallo Board of Trustees.
Jeanetta Keller, who is a member of the board and who serves as vice chair of the executive committee of the board, read from the resolution that was presented to Ellis.
In the photo at left, Keller, right, presents the framed resolution to Ellis, center, while University President Philip C. Williams applauds.
Also receiving resolutions for their completed terms of service are Anna Blair and Carolyn Duncan, who were not in attendance at the Founders’ Day convocation.
UM National Alumni Association awards
presented at 112th Founders’ Day
|
Alumni Association Award recipients are, from left, Cathy Jo Wheeler, Nathan E. “Lanny” McMinn and Eleanor Davis. Wheeler was presented with the Alumna Loyalty Award at this year’s Founders’ Day convocation, McMinn received the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award and Davis received the Outstanding Staff Service Award. |
Alumna Loyalty Award
Since 1984, the Alumnus/Alumna Loyalty Award has been presented each year to recognize the ongoing commitment of a University of Montevallo graduate to his or her alma mater. This year’s recipient is Cathy Jo Wheeler, class of 1975.
Wheeler has held a variety of positions during her successful career with the Birmingham office of the Social Security Administration, where she currently serves as a financial management specialist. As evidence of her career success, she has been awarded the Social Security Administration Commissioner’s Citation, which is the highest award presented by the organization.
She is active in both professional and community organizations, including the Federal Women’s Program, the Society of Government Meeting Planners, The Social Security Credit Union Board of Directors and the Bluff Park Art Association Board of Directors.
An art major, Wheeler graduated from the University of Montevallo with Highest Honors. As a student she was active on campus as freshman class president and as an SGA senator. She also worked on the Montage staff, was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity, an Alpha Tau Omega little sister and a Gold Side cabinet member.
Since graduation, Wheeler has demonstrated sustained dedication to the University of Montevallo in numerous ways. She served as member-at-large and vice president of finance for the alumni board before being elected president-elect, then president of the University of Montevallo National Alumni Association. During her tenure as president, the Alumni Association celebrated its 100th anniversary. She was a founding member of the Art Department’s alumni board, an advisor to the Tau Kappa chapter of Chi Omega at Montevallo and is currently a member of the University of Montevallo Foundation Board of Directors.
Her enthusiasm for Montevallo is contagious and is evident in the fact that both she and her husband, David Tate, are considered regulars at Homecoming, the Fine Arts Gala and the Jefferson County Art Auction. Writing in support of Wheeler’s nomination, Tom and Betty Walker describe Cathy Jo as “a Montevallo fixture;” her loyalty is fixed on Montevallo, and she’s always there. She is fixed in her commitment to encourage, give sound advice and generously support Montevallo’s many worthy causes.”
Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award
After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an M.B.A. from Western Carolina University, Nathan E. “Lanny” McMinn joined the faculty at the University of Montevallo in 1978. Over the course of 30 years, McMinn has taught classes in management, marketing and management information systems. In the words of his colleague Harry Hamilton, he is the “resident computer guru on campus and is informally consulted almost daily by students, professors and professional staff about hardware and software problems. And he never seems to tire of giving someone helpful advice.”
The nomination packet, containing more than 25 pages of letters and support materials, is indicative that Nathan McMinn takes the same supportive approach both in and out of the classroom. Student leaders thanked him for his dedication to College Night and the life experience it provides by dedicating College Night 2006 in his honor. He is often seen at UM athletic events and has been an adviser to several student organizations. A former student wrote “Professor McMinn exemplifies what I believe are the best characteristics of the University of Montevallo—namely, genuine compassion, real relationships and a desire to give students the very best education possible.”
In addition to his teaching role, McMinn, an assistant professor in the Stephens College of Business, has served academia through publication of articles in scholarly journals and presentation of research at professional conferences and meetings. He is active in the local community, having served as president of Shelby Emergency Assistance, as a member the Relay for Life Shelby County planning committee and as an adult Sunday school teacher at the First United Methodist Church.
Summing up his nomination for this award, one of McMinn’s nominators wrote: “Educator, friend, encourager, scholar, author, committee member, community leader; all these roles and many more make Nathan McMinn an excellent choice for the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award.”
Outstanding Staff Service Award
Eleanor Davis, director of student health services, received the Outstanding Staff Service Award at the annual Founders’ Day convocation.
The theme of this year’s Founders’ Day was service, and it can be manifested in various ways. The dictionary defines service as “an act of helpful activity.” To students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of Montevallo, Nurse Davis is service personified.
She earned a B.S. in nursing from the University of Michigan and a Masters of public health and a Masters of business administration from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She came to Montevallo in 1995, after working for a number of years in hospital nursing and public health.
As the director of student health services, Davis serves the entire University community through direct care and programming. In addition to providing direct care for students, faculty and staff, she coordinates the annual health fair and manages a wellness program on campus. She has also served as an adviser to minority students for approximately five years, providing advice for numerous UM students. One of those students, MeCherri Tarver, endorsed Eleanor’s nomination for this award, writing: Nurse Davis “is not only concerned with a student’s health, but she makes a conscious effort to make sure that the student knows she is ready and willing to be there to talk or to listen, no matter the circumstances. Whether she is serving as nurse or advisor, her generous and warm nature shines like a ray of sunshine.”
Scott Turner wins Life Raft Debate
And the oar goes to . . . Scott Turner, representing political science.
That's right! In a performance that mixed intellect with dry wit and political satire, Turner (pictured at left holding the oar), a professor of political science at the University of Montevallo, paddled away with the coveted oar in the 11th annual Life Raft Debate, held Thursday, Oct. 9.
Turner defeated Rosemary Arneson (information science), David Callaghan (theatre and the arts), Charlotte Daughhetee (counseling), Betsy Inglesby (English) and Philip C. Williams (college presidency) to win the title of Life Raft Debate champion for 2008.
The win by Turner continues the debate’s history of no repeat winners to date.
And now the countdown is on for the 12th annual Life Raft Debate, which will take place on Founders’ Day 2009.
For a complete history of the University of Montevallo Life Raft Debate, go to www.liferaftdebate.com/. Questions? Contact Michael Patton at pattonm@montevallo.edu.