C A M P U S
1. Find a picture of tornado damage at St. Edward’s. 2. Sheila MacIntyre was a mathematician. What is she known for? 3. Oscar Ray is a pseudonym. What is the author's real name? 4. According to Butler, what miracles have been attributed to St. Edward? 5. What was the first recorded use of the word recycle? To celebrate National Library Week, April 6–12, the Scarborough-Phillips Library staff posed these five questions to the university community as part of Library Pursuit, a contest using materials in the reference section. The library also hosted daily prize drawings for library patrons. In addition, library staff inaugurated complimentary coffee on weekday mornings and evenings and free donuts on Wednesday mornings during fall and spring semesters. Held since 1958, National Library Week was incorporated this year into the Campaign for America’s Libraries, an initiative launched in January to highlight the vital role that library research plays in education. More than 10,000 libraries across the country are participating in the campaign.
U N S U N G H E RO AWA R D S This spring St. Edward’s honored its Unsung Heroes — employees who demonstrate the university’s operating principles of collaboration, respect, continuous development, responsibility for excellence, high standards of service, open communication, understanding and promoting diversity, and good stewardship of university resources. Supervisors nominated support staff members, and the university community voted to select the 2002–2003 honorees: ■
Amanii Luper, MBA ’00, administrative secretary, Student Life
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Ricardo Vargas, assistant custodial supervisor, Physical Plant
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Jose Velarde, custodian, Physical Plant
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Marilyn Wilke, administrative coordinator, Athletics
“Our Unsung Heroes and their peers are employees who don’t usually get the spotlight and without whom the university would have to close its doors,” said Haven Street-Allen, director of Human Resources.
LORI NAJVAR
S E U C E L E B R AT E S N AT I O N A L L I B R A RY WEEK
B E A T
Athletic Director Debbie Williamson-Taylor (left) and Administrative Coordinator Marilyn Wilke, one of the university’s 2002–2003 Unsung Heroes, attend a Star Party honoring SEU support staff.
To celebrate the Unsung Heroes and their fellow employees, Human Resources and administrators hosted two back-to-back Star Parties with an all-star sports theme. Coaches from Athletics also hosted to authenticate the theme. This year’s Star Parties marked the seventh year of recognizing the university’s Unsung Heroes and fellow support staff employees.
S E U S E L E C T E D F O R I . T. C O N S O RT I U M Women in Science and the Teaching Scholars Program organized Allison Elementary School’s first science fair in April. WIS encourages students to pursue careers in science, and TSP places math and science students from St. Edward’s into Austin-area classrooms as mentors. WIS also held its semiannual on-campus workshop for middle school girls interested in science. Students in Assistant Professor Sara Medina-Pape’s Theater Costume Skills class painted faces in the Ragsdale Center to raise money for a Congregation of Holy Cross mission project in Uganda. The project assists young Ugandan women who have lost their parents to AIDS by teaching them to sew and to support their families. The students painted each face for $2.40 — the cost of printing one sewing manual — and reached their goal of funding 100 manuals.
In April St. Edward’s University joined the New Media Consortium, a nonprofit organization formed in 1993 to explore technological innovations in teaching, learning and creative expression. Members are selected through a stringent application and peer-review process. St. Edward’s becomes one of 110 NMC partner institutions including Stanford, Princeton and Yale universities. Members share ideas through conferences, online discussion groups, access to publications and new products, and free grant-writing consultation services. “St. Edward’s will be a valuable member of NMC because of the university’s demonstrated commitment to technology,” said Jason Rosenblum, instructional systems and programming manager at St. Edward’s. “We strive
to implement the best practices in teaching and learning.” For example, the university launched a secure wireless network in April through a partnership among Instructional Technology, Computer Services, Network Services and Telecommunications. The wireless network includes the Moody Hall atrium, Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center, Ragsdale Plaza, Trustee Hall and Scarborough-Phillips Library. “Technological innovation is essential to achieve the St. Edward’s vision of recognition among the country’s best small universities,” said Rosenblum, who spearheaded both the wireless network project and the consortium proposal. “We will continue to adopt new initiatives and new technologies to augment students’ experiences.”
Reporting by Mia Allen, Cassandra Elizondo, ’03, Stephanie Elsea, Stacia Hernstrom, Carrie Johnson and Michelle Martinez, ’01.
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