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Last Issue of 2017! Have a great winter break! THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017 tmn.truman.edu
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BEST OF 2017 | Join us as we highlight the year
VPSA finalists come to campus Truman looks to add biochemistry major BY RAQUEL PITTY-DIAZ Staff Writer
Photo by Lawrence Hu/TMN Janna Stoskopf, a finalist for Truman State University’s vice president for student affairs position, spoke at her open forum Monday, Dec 4. One of the two finalists will be installed by Jan. 1 after interviews and open forums happen this week. BY RYAN PIVONEY Staff Writer
Two finalists have been announced in Truman State University’s search for a new vice president for student affairs, and both have come to campus to participate in open forums. The Vice President for Student Affairs Search Advisory Committee conducted the search after a search to fill the same position last semester was unsuccessful. The committee is comprised of seven members representing various groups on campus, including two student representatives. The committee began reviewing applications at the end of September, and the goal is to have a new VPSA installed by January 2018. The committee has determined two finalists — Janna Stoskopf and Sarah Swager. Elizabeth Clark, chair of VPSA Search Advisory Committee, said the two finalists will meet with several individuals and campus constituencies, as well as participate in a campus-wide open forum. Stoskopf is the assistant vice president and dean of
student life at North Dakota State University. She appeared at her open forum Monday, Dec. 4. Swager was most recently dean of student success at Central Washington University. She will appear at her open forum at 2:45 p.m. today, Thursday, Dec. 7, in the SUB Activities Room. In addition to the open forums, the two finalists will meet with University President Sue Thomas and her President’s Administrative Council, which includes Provost Janet Gooch, Academic Affairs leaders, Student Affairs professional staff and direct reports, students from various campus organizations, and the Search Advisory Committee. Applicants for the position were expected to have a doctorate degree, but a master’s degree would be sufficient with appropriate experience, according to the search committee’s website. Other qualifications are 8-10 years of experience in student services and leadership. The candidates must show a commitment to diversity and inclusion, advocate for the
holistic development of students, have experience handling student crises, and be able to develop relationships with people from all parts of the Truman community. Current VPSA Lou Ann Gilchrist said the position oversees most of students’ out-of-class experiences. This includes student support services, residence halls, the Student Recreation Center and the Student Union Building. In addition, Student Affairs oversees the Student Conduct Code and advocates for the needs of students to the president’s staff. Gilchrist said she hopes whoever is the next VPSA understands that the Truman experience is created not only in classrooms, but also through the community and atmosphere surrounding The University. “I would hope that anyone that they hire for this position would be an advocate for student learning and development, that they would have an understanding of student development theory, and that they would be aware of the needs of a traditional student population,” Gilchrist said.
Candidates for Vice President for Student Affairs Janna Stoskopf
Sarah Swager Swager most recently served Stoskopf currently serves as as the dean of student success at assistant vice president and dean Central Washington University. of student life at North Dakota She has previously held positions State University. Stoskopf as vice president for student received a Master of Science affairs and dean of students at degree studying college student both Randolph College in personnel at Western Illinois Virginia and Coker College in University and a Bachelor of South Carolina. Swager holds Science degree in mathematics a doctorate in education with from Morningside College in an emphasis in higher education Iowa. Stoskopf has completed administration from University coursework toward a doctorate of Michigan. Swager received her in education with an emphasis Master of Arts degree in higher studying institutional analysis at North Dakota education and student personnel from Bowling Green State State University. College in Ohio and her Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and studio art from Colby College in Maine.
Truman State University is working to introduce biochemistry major for incoming students as early as fall 2018. The biochemistry major has been discussed for almost a decade now and was proposed to cater to high demand from current and prospective students. The lack of a biochemistry major has led many students to double major in biology and chemistry to fill academic gaps, which often takes five years to complete.
expected to look similar, if not identical, to that of the biology major. Because of this, many classes included in the biochemistry major are already in place at Truman. At least three classes will be created exclusively for the new major, but shouldn’t cost students any additional money. “[The biochemistry major] will be supported with existing biology and chemistry faculty,” said Janet Gooch Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The University recently hired chemistry faculty members who have biochemistry emphases,
Photo by Brently Snead/TMN Chemistry professors Billy Miller, Brian Lamp and Barbara Kramer sit alongside biology professor Timothy Walson at a meeting of Truman State University’s Undergraduate Council in November. At the meeting, UGC approved a biochemistry major, sending the proposal to Faculty Senate for another vote. “I think a lot of [students], if given the choice between 5 years of double majoring and 4 years of doing a biochemistry major, a lot of them are going to choose a biochemistry major,” assistant chemistry professor Billy Miller said. Accommodating for the lack of a biochemistry major can be stressful for students as well as professors, who are teaching teaching a year’s worth of information in a semester. Miller said the information can be overwhelming, and the experience will be more impactful and students will learn more if it can be spread out over multiple classes with more students. Timothy Walston, interim dean of the school of Science and Mathematics, said the University would like to create a biochemistry major by using the existing resources and without adding additional funding. As a result, the first 2 years of the biochemistry major is
which made the major proposal process possible. Gooch believes adding the new major will fit the University’s mission of interdisciplinarity, as biochemistry is an opportunity to for students to understand how skills learned in biology and chemistry work together. The major, if approved, will be certified by the American Chemical Society — a nonprofit organization and the world’s largest scientific society. According to Walston, Truman chemistry graduates earn the most doctorate degrees of any American Chemical Society certified program in the country. And the University hopes future biochemistry graduates will follow the same footsteps. The major proposal has been approved by Undergraduate Council, but still needs to be approved by Faculty Senate and the Board of Governors. Faculty Senate will meet Dec. 14 to discuss the proposal.
Truman joins national JED mental health program BY DANA BARTCH Staff Writer
Truman State University will implement a four-year, campus-wide program called JED Campus to enhance mental health services during the spring semester of 2018. JED Campus partners with hundreds of universities across the nation, such as Brandeis University and New York University, to promote the importance of mental health among students. Truman has now allocated funds to pay for the program, which were raised entirely by the 2017 Homecoming Committee. Established in 2000, the Jed Foundation is a nonprofit organization aimed toward
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equipping young adults in high school and college with the skills necessary to promote mental health and prevent suicide. JED Campus is working with more than 1.5 million students across the country and has educated more than 5,000 campus professionals in suicide prevention according to their website. Brenda Higgins, Student Health Center and University Counseling Services director, said in past years the task of evaluating and addressing the emotional well-being of the students fell upon the shoulders of the health and counseling centers. The health centers — and the university as a whole — are very excited to
have JED because they have never had a similar program instituted on campus before. “The JED program involves the whole campus,” Higgins said. “We will have individuals from higher administration at the University. We will have faculty, a representative from the counseling center, the health center, students and we should have legal affairs [and] admissions. It’s a whole campus kind of thing that will have a positive impact that hopefully radiates out through the whole campus.” A comprehensive survey will be sent out to all students at the start of the spring semester, said Higgins. The “Healthy Mind Survey” is anonymous
and designed to gauge emotional and mental health levels on campus. Skilled consultants from JED will analyze the results, visit campus and make recommendations on how the University can improve its mental health care. Lou Ann Gilchrist, vice president for student affairs, said JED specialists and the University will then form a strategic plan. This plan will be gradually integrated into Truman’s approach toward mental health over the next four years, and JED will routinely follow up with the University to add additional feedback and suggestions. All this was made possible by students serving on the Homecoming Committee
who raised the money to pay for JED Campus. Adam McMichael, program adviser for campus activities, said the students on the committee chose mental health and celebration as their two themes and monetary recipients for the 2017 Homecoming. “After a lot of research and time and voting by the committee of students, they had settled on the JED Foundation,” McMichael said. “At that point, our philanthropy chairs for Homecoming really spearheaded getting in contact with the Jed Foundation and facilitating all that communication and what developed into a partnership between the University and the foundation.”