Western News, Sept. 3, 1998
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WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSilY Volume 25, Number 1 www.wmich.edu/wmu/news September 3, 1998 Minority health careers. new teacher support are goals BOT's reception for the WMU launches partnerships with city schools Floyds set for Sept. 18 Grant will increase number of minorities entering health careers The Board of Trustees will hold a Minority students from the Kalamazoo lie schools are a wonderful resource for us. involving both MSU and its Kalamazoo University-wide reception Friday, Public Schools will be heading for health This will result in a closer relationship campus. His successor, Robert P. Carter, Sept. 18, to give faculty and staff care careers in record numbers as the next between the public school system and the agrees. members an opportunity to welcome century begins, thanks to a partnership universities." "We are proud to be a part of a project President and Mrs. Elson S. Floyd to involving WMU and other local educators "The initiative's focus on fostering aca- that complements the existing efforts of the campus. and community leaders. demic achievement and the desire to excel both MSU/KCMS and MSU College of The event is set for 2 to 4 p.m. on A $349,983 grant made through the dovetails perfectly with the mission of Human Medicine to attract minority stu- the veranda of Miller Auditorium Association of American Medical Colleges KPS and with the recent moves in the dents into medicine," Carter says, "and we and on the adjacent Fountain Plaza. will come to the community to fund a five- district to increase student achievement," welcome another opportunity to collabo- The rain location for the event is year initiative to coordinate resources and according to Kay Royster, KPS superin- rate with WMU. Such collaborations have inside the auditorium in the Grand efforts aimed at boosting the number of tendent who has been deeply involved in been consistently rewarding and produc- Tier lobby area. minority students headed for a wide range development of the project. tive." of health care professions. The award was Tom M. Johnson, who recently retired Other education and community orga- announced last month in Washington, D.C., as assistant dean and chief executive of- nizations that will be actively involved by AAMC and by the W.K. Kellogg Foun- ficer ofMSU/KCMS, was involved in put- include Kalamazoo Valley Community CommUniverCity crowds dation of Battle Creek, Mich., and the ting together the Kalamazoo initiative be- College, the NAACP, the Hispanic Ameri- expected to hit 35,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of fore he stepped down. He says the project (Continued on page four) Michigan Gov. John Enlger is just one Princeton, N.J., which are partners in the fits in nicely with a number of other efforts of the record 35,000 people expected to be national project. on hand tonight as the University and com- The award will fund the Kalamazoo munity gather to launch the 1998 Bronco Health Partnership Initiative, which will Mentors, computers to aid beginning teachers football season. involve WMU, Michigan State Univer- A pilot project combining modem laptop teacher in the pilot program with a College Engler, who will be in town to attend a sity/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Stud- computing technology and old-fashioned of Education faculty mentor as well as a local Chamber of Commerce event, is ex- ies, the Kalamazoo Public Schools and personal mentoring will help Kalamazoo laptop computer and access to the pected to drop by Hyames Field prior to the community organizations from across the Public Schools' beginning teachers suc- University's computing resources. The 7:30p.m. game and greet those attending city. cessfully launch their careers, KPS and teachers will have regular one-on-one meet- the Corporate Village tailgate party. Pri- Beginning this fall with KPS seventh WMU officials announced Aug. 24 at ings with their mentors and will be able to vate parties will be held in 53 tents set up graders, the partners in the effort will focus Arcadia Elementary School. communicate with their mentors and other across that field from 5 to 7 p.m., and a on informing students about health care While touring the school on opening new teachers via e-mail and on-line discus- record crowd of l 0,000 is expected there. opportunities and guiding interested stu- day with Kay Royster, KPS superinten- sion groups. They also will be able to use Entertainment will be provided by the U.S. dents into health careers through counsel- dent, President Elson S. Floyd announced their University computing account to ac- Navy's "Top 40 Band." Students will be ing, mentoring, job shadowing, enhanced that a small group of first- and second-year cess the World Wide Web for research and attending an "ultimate student tailgate" academic and laboratory experiences, spe- KPS teachers would be the first to benefit additional support. scheduled for them at Kanley Track. cial health occupations course work and from the new education initiative, which is "Teacher education is a lifelong pro- The game, which was nearly sold out at internships. The partners will bring their designed to help beginning teachers make cess," said Dean Frank Rapley of the Col- Western News press time, will feature the resources to the task of improving basic the transition from student to teacher. lege of Education. "Our goal and the effort Broncos against Northern Ilinois Univer- academic achievement levels, increasing "We're going to provide the technology we've put into developing school/Univer- sity. The contest will mark the first time the minority enrollment in health professions and University faculty support that will sity partnerships is designed to improve new Bill Brown Alumni Football Center is education and improving retention of those help teachers make that very difficult tran- student learning at every level." in use for a game. The $8.2 million facility students once they enroll in higher educa- sition," Floyd said. "We want to extend the The University's faculty and preservice was completed earlier this summer and tion. partnerships we've already developed with programs also will benefit greatly from the inlcude coaches' offices that double as "This partnership with the institutions schools to train new teachers. Working program because of constant interaction suites on game days as well as new locker primarily responsible for educating future with our colleagues in the public schools, with new teachers who are facing the chal- rooms, weight rooms and an auditorium. minority applicants is critical to the suc- we want to continue to provide the kind of lenge of applying their University educa- Once the stadium's 30,000 tickets are cess of this effort," says Bemardine Lacey, support that will enable those teachers to tion when they take the helm in a class- gone, seating will be available on the lawn directorofWMU's School ofNursing who become the very best educators for our room. overlooking the stadium. For current ticket will direct the community-wide effort. "We children." "We have as much to learn as to teach," information, persons should call 7-3092. have a wonderful resource here to offer to The University will provide each new (Continued on page four) students in the public schools and the pub- Did you know? • Dwight B. Waldo, WMU's first president and "the father of Western athletics," purchased a swampy par- cel of property in 1913 that would eventually be the site for the football stadium named in his honor. He launched the University's first fund- raising campaign to help pay for the purchase. • Waldo Stadium was completed in 1939, the same year WMU dropped its "Hill toppers" nickname in favor of the "Broncos." It cost $270,000 to build the facility and the adjacent athletic field. Funding came from a $200,000 Works Progress Administration grant, pro- Bronco Buddies 'n banners ... ceeds from selling part of the exist- Volunteer Bronco Buddies helped new students negotiate the ropes as ing athletic field to the highway de- they moved into campus residence halls last weekend. Meanwhile the partment and fund-raising efforts by campus and community were festooned with new welcome banners WMU and the Kalamazoo Chamber that bear the likeness of the new Bronco image. ABOVE: Freshman of Commerce. Amanda Darwood of Ferndale, second from left, gets a helping hand • When first constructed, the sta- as she moves in to Hadley Hall from, left to right, sophomore Nicole dium seated 15,000 spectators. To- Theile of Flint, sophomore Lynn Drewniak of Livonia, and sophmore day it accommodates more than Steve Wambaugh of Flint. AT RIGHT: Sean Perrin of Burkett Signs 30,000 spectators. hangs a banner along Stadium Drive. (Photos by Neil Rankin) Two September 3, 1998 Western News Australian firm awards $2.9 million in software Working together to tell our story for research and set-up of campus training site I've been warmly welcomed across the But we won't stop there. In addition to The Australian-based Moldflow Corp. manufacturing facilities, is intended to serve campus and community and for that I am explaining to people how we already are has donated $2.9 million worth of com- as a hotbed of research and consulting by grateful. Now I want to turn the tables and making an impact, I want to focus our puter hardware and software to the College faculty and students on design and manu- welcome all of you back to what promises attentions on uncovering even more av- of Engineering and Applied Sciences to facturing process issues for the industry. to be an academic year full of excitement enues for us to take as we bring all of our establish the Moldflow Center for Design Prior to locating the center at WMU, - the kind of ex- resources to bear on Excellence in Kohrman Hall.