Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Tenure and Promotion Granted

Dr. Kay Siebler
Dr. Eduardo Castilla Ortiz
We are pleased to share the news that Dr. Kay Siebler and Dr. Eduardo Castilla Ortiz have been granted tenure by the university.

In addition to receiving tenure, Dr. Siebler was promoted from the rank of Associate Professor to the rank of Professor of English. She currently serves as Director of Composition.

Dr. Trish Donaher, a tenured associate professor, was also promoted to the rank of Professor of English, the university's highest rank.
Dr. Trish Donaher

Congratulations to Kay, Trish, and Eduardo!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Hartley off to Arizona State University


Stephanie Hartley, MAA in Written Communication, has accepted a position as a full-time instructor of English at Arizona State University where she will teach composition starting this fall.

Stephanie completed her MAA in the spring of 2012 and has taught in EFLJ as a part-time instructor for the past two semesters.

Congratulations, Stephanie. Go, Sun Devils!

Graduate Program Update

Kaye Adkins, our director of graduate studies, reports on the fortunes of our MAA graduates:

As of May 2013, ten students have completed the Master of Applied Arts in Written Communication. Here’s what they are doing now, and the kinds of organizations which they are working for:

Technical Communication Option:
User-interface designer (business services)
Compliance documentation specialist (banking)
Web master and technical communicator (software)
Grant writer and education/training materials developer (non-profit)
Communication specialist (civilian with U.S. military)
Ph.D. candidate in Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication (Univ. of Minnesota)
One May 2013 graduate is currently looking for employment

Writing Studies Option:
Full-time faculty and newspaper sponsor (Butler Community College)
Full-time non-tenure track faculty (Arizona State University)
Part-time faculty (Missouri Western), currently looking for full-time employment

If you'd like information about our MAA program or the graduate certificate in the teaching of writing, check out our department site and/or contact Dr. Adkins.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Graduation, 2013

On Saturday, May 11th we sent out the next batch of EFLJ alumni, both undergraduate and graduate.

Dr. Adkins with MAA graduate Anita Ford

Dr. Charlton and MAA graduate Rachel Stancliff

Dr. Donaher and BA graduate Staci Hersh


A gaggle of graduate students


Dr. Siebler flanked by MAA grads Amanda and Sarah

MAA grad Chris clutches the goods






Congratulations! Keep us apprised of your accomplishments and news!

Friday, May 10, 2013

April Accomplishments by Students and Faculty


Conference/Seminars/Committees
Cynthia Bartels attended the annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association and the Editorial board meeting for the Journal of American Culture in Washington, D.C.

Kaye Adkins presented her paper, "Risk Communication and Citizenship: The Air Raid Warden's Manual" at the conference of the College English Association in Savannah, Georgia, April 5.

Kaye Adkins attended the Society for Technical Communication regional Workshop for Teachers on April 26, at Missouri Western State University.

Ian  Roberts presented "Jack London and the Physical Basis of Life," on the influence of T.H. Huxley on Jack London's scientific philosophy at the annual national meeting of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association meeting in Washington, D.C.

Trish Donaher presented "Uncharted Waters: The Course of Ain't in 17th Century Literature," an investigation of the inclusion of “ain't” in the casual speech of characters in literature of the period at the annual national meeting of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association meeting in Washington, D.C.

Student/Community Involvement/Successes
English majors Sarah McClure and Roxanne Chase and English/French major Caitlin McKinney gave papers at the 2013 Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association Conference held in Washington, D.C., March 27-31. The students presented in the area of Literature and Science and were accompanied at the conference by Drs. Ian Roberts and Trish Donaher. Their papers were developed in the fall, in Dr. Roberts' Literature and Science course. 

Students from Missouri Western attended and presented at the Students in Technical Communication Conference on April 27 at Missouri State University. Kris Miller, a graduate student in the Technical Communication option of the M.A.A. in Written Communication presented a poster, "WebCT and Moodle: How User Friendly?". Rachel Stancliff, also a graduate student in the Technical Communication option of the MAA in Written Communication, presented a poster "The Problem of Location: Website Navigation Conventions and User Expectations of Menu Placement on e-Commerce Websites". Both students's posters shared the results of their Master's thesis project. Also attending the conference were two undergraduates, Jennifer Heater and Brandon Herring, and Dr. Kaye Adkins.

EFLJ students presenting posters at the Foundation reception included:
Anita Ford: "Does Current Technical Communication Curriculum Prepare Graduates for the Needs of The Job Market?"
Jennifer Heater, "Visual Media: To Believe or Not to Believe"
Jeanette Kragel: "Proposal Readability: Does It Really Make a Difference?"
Rachel Stancliff: "The Problem of Location: Website Navigation Conventions and User Expectations of Menu Placement on e-Commerce Websites"
Dave Hon: "Website Features of College Newspapers"
Anna Steely: “Les Poètes Maudits (The Cursed Poets)”
April Buntin and Nick Weil presented Spanish flyers resulting from a project in SPA 211. 

William Church accompanied nine of his HON195 Colloquium students to the Great Plains Honors Conference at West Texas A & M, April 4-7. The students had been invited to present posters of original research they conducted last fall on the theme of "What it Means to be Human in the Digital Age."

On April 18, the Alliance Française welcomed Dr. Louis Imperiale for an evening of well-loved French songs. The performance featured Imperiale on accordion, as well as two musicians on guitar and drums. The audience joined in singing on many of the songs.

Ana Bausset Page helped create a program called "Corazon Latino," a series of interviews and conversations (in Spanish) about events in Saint Joseph, our University and other events happening in Missouri. Students Indira Rivas and Sami Atieh will be doing much of the interviews. Ana interviewed Vicki Perez Calzadilla, our Fulbright Spanish instructor. Saint Joseph Music Foundation is the sponsor.


Monday, May 6, 2013

Sarah Puett Defends Thesis

Sarah Puett defended her thesis this afternoon. The title of the project is "Branding Rhetoric: A cross-disciplinary approach to creating, narrowing, and harnessing ethos in technical communication." 

Left to right: Dr. Jeney, Dr. Tapia, Ms. Puett, and Dr. Adkins

Sarah's committee consisted of Dr. Kaye Adkins (chair), Dr. C. J. Jenéy, and Dr. John Tapia. Sarah will continue her studies this fall as a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota.

Congratulations, Sarah!

Last reading of School Year



Folks gathered at Foster's Martini Bar on Thursday, May 2 to share some creative work with one another.
Dana Andrews reflects on the readings

Keep an eye out for First Thursday in June. Circle June 6 on your calendars. Perhaps we can have some poetry about invasions--military, personal, emotional, or otherwise--to mark the 69th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Celebrating with Visiting Foreign Language Faculty

Left to Right: Cathy Pankiewicz, Juan Want, Eduardo Castilla-Ortiz, Susie Hennessy, Dominic Heres, Vicky Perez Calzadilla, and Ana Bausset-Page
Foreign language teachers and students celebrated the end of the year on April 29.

We wish a fond farewell and safe travel to our departing Fulbright teachers, Dominic Heres and Vicky Perez Calzadilla, as well as to Chinese exchange teacher Juan Wang.