Area colleges, universities set for spectacular school year
With the start of fall classes just days away, the seven colleges and universities in and around the Columbia area are preparing for another event-filled school year. Here are some of the highlights:
Central Methodist University
With an approximate $5.5 million spent on the renovation of Central Methodist University’s Classic Hall, a new home for CMU’s music programs and the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art is almost complete. The four-story brick building was originally built a century ago and will no longer be vacant in time for 2012.
Despite economic pitfalls for private colleges, CMU hopes to see record numbers this fall by surpassing the 1,200-student mark for on-campus enrollment — a figure not seen by the university in almost all of its 160-year history. The university will continue to look forward by setting an enrollment goal of 1,500 on-campus students by 2020. With oversight from CMU President Marianne Inman, new programming in the life and health sciences departments is being examined, and attention is being directed toward a plan to accommodate predicted growth.
Off campus, however, CMU’s College of Graduate and Extended Studies is also expanding. CMU now has off-campus programming in 11 communities across the state, and university officials are searching for more. With a thriving off-campus presence, CMU hopes to enhance its online coursework and degree completion programming.
Columbia College
Columbia College kicked off a busy school year with an Involvement Fair for all students on Aug. 19. Attendees received more information regarding Columbia’s student government, clubs and organizations, study abroad opportunities and had a chance to talk to their peers.
To provide much needed comic relief after the first full day of classes, Columbia’s Student Affairs Caucus will present comedian Paul Varghese at
7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 in the Launer Building auditorium, free of charge. Varghese was a finalist on the reality show Last Comic Standing.
Students interested in exploring the city of Columbia’s downtown scene should attend The District scavenger hunt from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 23. Participants can familiarize themselves with popular hangouts, shops, coffee houses and music venues, as well as receive ice cream before returning to campus.
Moberly Area Community College
The Moberly Area Community College will begin the school year with some exciting opportunities for new students. As the first community college in the state to offer live virtual training in its online, for-credit educational programs, MACC will deliver multiple career and technical education programs to students within its 16-county service region. Any students interested in the following programs can complete them online: computer information technology, drafting and design technology, business and office technology, marketing and management and early childhood education.
In addition to this expansion, MACC recently received a U.S. Department of Labor Training for Tomorrow grant amounting to $696,011. With this funding, MACC hopes to either enhance or create technical training in areas such as nursing, Microsoft professional training and certification, information technology and more.
For possible students interested in either marketing and managing their own businesses, accounting or information technology, MACC is currently offering expanded career and technical programs in Columbia to receive degrees in such areas.
Stephens College
Breast cancer awareness and prevention will account for several large events at Stephens College this upcoming academic year. From now until March 2012, students, faculty and staff of Stephens College will grow out their hair “for the cure.” In the spring, participants will chop their locks and donate them to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths wig program. The Mid-Missouri Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure recently awarded the Stephens College Office of Residence Life two $5,000 grants. In addition to Beautiful Lengths, Stephens plans to form a team called “Stephens College — Among Women” for the Mid-Missouri Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Sept. 18.
After serving as chairwoman of the department of television-radio in the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, Dr. Nancy Cornwell joins Stephens College in the position of interim vice president for academic affairs. Specializing in academic subjects concerning the conflicts between First Amendment rights and individual liberties, Cornwell received her undergraduate degree in telecommunications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, a bachelor of science in psychology from St. Lawrence University and holds a doctorate degree in media studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Stephens will also add Caroline Bartek as a full-time faculty member in the college’s renowned School of Design and Fashion. With baccalaureate degrees from Dominican University in fashion design and merchandising, she served as the senior apparel designer and creative director for CINTAS, an apparel company for service industries.
University of Missouri
As a part of the University Concert Series, MU will present critically acclaimed blues guitarist and singer Buddy Guy in the Jesse Hall auditorium on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. In addition to his incredible musical talent, Guy is famous for his distinctive showmanship on stage — playing his guitar with drumsticks or occasionally sauntering into the audience to perform a solo.
American actress, stand-up comedian and television personality Kathy Griffin will also be performing at Jesse Hall. As star of the reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List and winner of two Academy Awards as a producer, she will entertain audience members at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23.
MU also will be bracing itself to celebrate its 100th homecoming this October. From Oct. 1 through Oct. 15, MU will hold a variety of traditional events, such as campus decorations and the spirit rally, yet the two largest attractions will be the Homecoming Blood Drive on Oct. 3 through Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily in the Hearnes Center and the football game versus Iowa State on Oct. 15.
Both events face stiff competition from last year. With an original goal of 4,000 units, MU and the American Red Cross ended last year’s 25th annual Homecoming Blood Drive with a total of 4,217 units to put in the bank. In addition to such success, downtown Columbia witnessed swarms of jubilant gold-colored crowds after the MU Tigers’ unexpected yet triumphant victory over the Oklahoma Sooners.
Westminster College
Featuring the prestige of speakers such as the renowned Baylor neuroscientist David Eagleman, New York Institute of Technology professor Yuko Oda and cyborg anthropologist Amber Case, Westminster College will hold the sixth Symposium on Democracy: “My Digital Life @ the Speed of Light.” From Sept. 20 through the 21, Symposium will challenge the Westminster community to examine the revolutionary uses of modern technology in day-to-day life. In the time-honored tradition of Green Lecturers that began with Winston Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech, former top executive at MTV Bill Roedy will be the featured 2011 Green Lecturer.
On Nov. 30 , Fulton’s B & B Theatres will host the first and only showing of Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley, the documentary will be shown in commemoration of Churchill’s birthday.
From Feb. 11 through March 11, the National Churchill Museum will host the Smithsonian exhibit “The Way We Worked.” The display will showcase the transformation of labor and the workplace between the mid-nineteenth and late twentieth centuries.
Later in the spring, the National Churchill Museum will also present “Our Lives, Our Stories: America’s Greatest Generation.” This exhibit will showcase the World War II generation, as told by those who lived it.
William Woods University
From Aug. 25 to Sept. 18, the Best of Missouri Hands “Celebrating Creativity” gallery will be held in the Mildred M. Cox Gallery in the Gladys Woods Kemper Center for the Arts. The Cox Gallery will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and Sunday. A “meet the artists” reception also will be held Sept. 18. With a display composed of a variety of paintings, drawings, photographs, textiles, ceramics, sculptures, jewelry and mixed media, the exhibit will flaunt Missouri’s arts and the work from members of the Best of Missouri Hands organization.
On Aug. 24, William Woods will also welcome country singer Carissa Dawn. As a Fulton-native, a 2006 William Woods alumna and a crowned 2008 Missouri State Fair Idol, Dawn has entertained from Missouri to Memphis and will perform near the Junior Lake Dock on campus.
The Juneteenth Celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States will also take place in the Cutlip Auditorium on Aug. 26. Honoring African-American liberty and achievement, Juneteenth represents a national day of pride, growth and respect for all cultures. Activities and performances will be held to promote and pique knowledge and interests concerning African-American history and culture.
Following the prominent theme of performance arts, William Woods will put on the production of The Drowsy Chaperone. It tells the tale of a passionate musical theater fan faced with his favorite cast album exploding to life in his living room after a few rotations on a turntable. The production will be held in the Cutlip Auditorium on Oct. 6.
Central Methodist University
With an approximate $5.5 million spent on the renovation of Central Methodist University’s Classic Hall, a new home for CMU’s music programs and the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art is almost complete. The four-story brick building was originally built a century ago and will no longer be vacant in time for 2012.
Despite economic pitfalls for private colleges, CMU hopes to see record numbers this fall by surpassing the 1,200-student mark for on-campus enrollment — a figure not seen by the university in almost all of its 160-year history. The university will continue to look forward by setting an enrollment goal of 1,500 on-campus students by 2020. With oversight from CMU President Marianne Inman, new programming in the life and health sciences departments is being examined, and attention is being directed toward a plan to accommodate predicted growth.
Off campus, however, CMU’s College of Graduate and Extended Studies is also expanding. CMU now has off-campus programming in 11 communities across the state, and university officials are searching for more. With a thriving off-campus presence, CMU hopes to enhance its online coursework and degree completion programming.
Columbia College
Columbia College kicked off a busy school year with an Involvement Fair for all students on Aug. 19. Attendees received more information regarding Columbia’s student government, clubs and organizations, study abroad opportunities and had a chance to talk to their peers.
To provide much needed comic relief after the first full day of classes, Columbia’s Student Affairs Caucus will present comedian Paul Varghese at
7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 in the Launer Building auditorium, free of charge. Varghese was a finalist on the reality show Last Comic Standing.
Students interested in exploring the city of Columbia’s downtown scene should attend The District scavenger hunt from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 23. Participants can familiarize themselves with popular hangouts, shops, coffee houses and music venues, as well as receive ice cream before returning to campus.
Moberly Area Community College
The Moberly Area Community College will begin the school year with some exciting opportunities for new students. As the first community college in the state to offer live virtual training in its online, for-credit educational programs, MACC will deliver multiple career and technical education programs to students within its 16-county service region. Any students interested in the following programs can complete them online: computer information technology, drafting and design technology, business and office technology, marketing and management and early childhood education.
In addition to this expansion, MACC recently received a U.S. Department of Labor Training for Tomorrow grant amounting to $696,011. With this funding, MACC hopes to either enhance or create technical training in areas such as nursing, Microsoft professional training and certification, information technology and more.
For possible students interested in either marketing and managing their own businesses, accounting or information technology, MACC is currently offering expanded career and technical programs in Columbia to receive degrees in such areas.
Stephens College
Breast cancer awareness and prevention will account for several large events at Stephens College this upcoming academic year. From now until March 2012, students, faculty and staff of Stephens College will grow out their hair “for the cure.” In the spring, participants will chop their locks and donate them to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths wig program. The Mid-Missouri Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure recently awarded the Stephens College Office of Residence Life two $5,000 grants. In addition to Beautiful Lengths, Stephens plans to form a team called “Stephens College — Among Women” for the Mid-Missouri Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Sept. 18.
After serving as chairwoman of the department of television-radio in the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, Dr. Nancy Cornwell joins Stephens College in the position of interim vice president for academic affairs. Specializing in academic subjects concerning the conflicts between First Amendment rights and individual liberties, Cornwell received her undergraduate degree in telecommunications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, a bachelor of science in psychology from St. Lawrence University and holds a doctorate degree in media studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Stephens will also add Caroline Bartek as a full-time faculty member in the college’s renowned School of Design and Fashion. With baccalaureate degrees from Dominican University in fashion design and merchandising, she served as the senior apparel designer and creative director for CINTAS, an apparel company for service industries.
University of Missouri
As a part of the University Concert Series, MU will present critically acclaimed blues guitarist and singer Buddy Guy in the Jesse Hall auditorium on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. In addition to his incredible musical talent, Guy is famous for his distinctive showmanship on stage — playing his guitar with drumsticks or occasionally sauntering into the audience to perform a solo.
American actress, stand-up comedian and television personality Kathy Griffin will also be performing at Jesse Hall. As star of the reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List and winner of two Academy Awards as a producer, she will entertain audience members at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23.
MU also will be bracing itself to celebrate its 100th homecoming this October. From Oct. 1 through Oct. 15, MU will hold a variety of traditional events, such as campus decorations and the spirit rally, yet the two largest attractions will be the Homecoming Blood Drive on Oct. 3 through Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily in the Hearnes Center and the football game versus Iowa State on Oct. 15.
Both events face stiff competition from last year. With an original goal of 4,000 units, MU and the American Red Cross ended last year’s 25th annual Homecoming Blood Drive with a total of 4,217 units to put in the bank. In addition to such success, downtown Columbia witnessed swarms of jubilant gold-colored crowds after the MU Tigers’ unexpected yet triumphant victory over the Oklahoma Sooners.
Westminster College
Featuring the prestige of speakers such as the renowned Baylor neuroscientist David Eagleman, New York Institute of Technology professor Yuko Oda and cyborg anthropologist Amber Case, Westminster College will hold the sixth Symposium on Democracy: “My Digital Life @ the Speed of Light.” From Sept. 20 through the 21, Symposium will challenge the Westminster community to examine the revolutionary uses of modern technology in day-to-day life. In the time-honored tradition of Green Lecturers that began with Winston Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech, former top executive at MTV Bill Roedy will be the featured 2011 Green Lecturer.
On Nov. 30 , Fulton’s B & B Theatres will host the first and only showing of Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley, the documentary will be shown in commemoration of Churchill’s birthday.
From Feb. 11 through March 11, the National Churchill Museum will host the Smithsonian exhibit “The Way We Worked.” The display will showcase the transformation of labor and the workplace between the mid-nineteenth and late twentieth centuries.
Later in the spring, the National Churchill Museum will also present “Our Lives, Our Stories: America’s Greatest Generation.” This exhibit will showcase the World War II generation, as told by those who lived it.
William Woods University
From Aug. 25 to Sept. 18, the Best of Missouri Hands “Celebrating Creativity” gallery will be held in the Mildred M. Cox Gallery in the Gladys Woods Kemper Center for the Arts. The Cox Gallery will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and Sunday. A “meet the artists” reception also will be held Sept. 18. With a display composed of a variety of paintings, drawings, photographs, textiles, ceramics, sculptures, jewelry and mixed media, the exhibit will flaunt Missouri’s arts and the work from members of the Best of Missouri Hands organization.
On Aug. 24, William Woods will also welcome country singer Carissa Dawn. As a Fulton-native, a 2006 William Woods alumna and a crowned 2008 Missouri State Fair Idol, Dawn has entertained from Missouri to Memphis and will perform near the Junior Lake Dock on campus.
The Juneteenth Celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States will also take place in the Cutlip Auditorium on Aug. 26. Honoring African-American liberty and achievement, Juneteenth represents a national day of pride, growth and respect for all cultures. Activities and performances will be held to promote and pique knowledge and interests concerning African-American history and culture.
Following the prominent theme of performance arts, William Woods will put on the production of The Drowsy Chaperone. It tells the tale of a passionate musical theater fan faced with his favorite cast album exploding to life in his living room after a few rotations on a turntable. The production will be held in the Cutlip Auditorium on Oct. 6.