Campus News

Brad Dixon, ‘07, is no stranger to Central Methodist University’s senior leadership team. But now he comes to the table with a new title -- vice president for student life. Dixon earned his bachelor’s degree from Central in 2007.

His promotion was one of four big pieces to an administrative restructuring announced recently by President Roger Drake.

A native of Houston, Mo., Dixon was a member of the baseball team while a student at Central. He was also an active participant in the Student Government Association, an organization he now oversees as a member of the senior staff. He graduated from CMU with a degree in recreational administration and business management.

President Roger Drake was quick to praise Dixon and the other leaders.

“We have a great depth of leadership here to take us into the future,’ Drake said. “I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Dixon served previously as Central’s dean of students and associate dean. He was hired at Central in 2015.

Dixon and his wife, Natalie, also a 2007 CMU graduate, are the parents of two children, Hayden and Henley.

This summer’s show at the AshbyHodge Gallery of American Art will give “A Missouri Perspective,” with local artist Vivian Carwile featured alongside former University of Missouri professor Robert Franklin Bussabarger. The show opened on May 22 and will continue through July 21.

Carwile is a native Mid-Missourian who has spent a career both making art and sharing it with others. As an elementary school teacher for 17 years, she had the pleasure of sharing the art process, aesthetics, and history with her young students, in the same way she learned from acclaimed artists like David Drummond, Marylin Bradley, and Ann Kullberg.

“My style and a yearning to put my thoughts and imagination into visual representation travel with me wherever I go,” said Carwile. “I try to grow constantly as an artist sampling new materials, techniques, and mediums.”

Using different media and techniques has helped her take part in a variety of exhibits and earn recognition for her work in the form of multiple awards. Carwile says her first award came in 2001 with a “Best in Show” recognition at the amateur level of the Jefferson City Art Club’s adult art exhibit. Since then she has earned recognition in the JCAC professional division and the Top 50 exhibit at the Missouri State Fair on two occasions.

Many of Carwile’s works, using largely watercolor and colored pencil, showcase small-town life in the Mid-Missouri towns of her childhood.

Alongside Carwile’s work in Gallery 3, works by the late Robert Bussabarger will be featured in Gallery 1. Bussabarger was a celebrated artist, researcher, and teacher, who joined the MU faculty in 1953 and spent nearly four decades teaching ceramics and painting in Columbia.

His work has been exhibited and is held in private collections throughout the United States and India, including the Air India Collection in Bombay, the Springfield Art Museum, the State Historical Society of Missouri, and the Montminy Art Gallery in Columbia.

The summer show will be open to visitors from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. each Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from May 22 through July 21. Special tours are also available by contacting curator Denise Haskamp at 660-248-6304 or dhaskamp@ centralmethodist.edu.

Central Methodist University’s Center Stage scholarship competition once again brought a wealth of talent and potential to The Little Theatre with February’s contest. Half a dozen high school seniors brought home scholarships after the event, with Columbia’s Gram Coalier taking the Gold level prize.

Coalier, a Rock Bridge High School student, performed Biff’s monologue from Death of a Salesman and a portion of Noise Off. He says he’s been involved in theatre for several years now but in the last couple of years has become more invested in the art.

“It wasn’t until 10th grade that I was really invested in it,” Coalier said. “I got into the all-school musical and play and have found a home in being different characters. Theatre, for me, is a combination of the arts, every detail made perfect to bring emotion.”

Also receiving scholarships on the day were Elizabeth Thomas of St. Mary’s, Kan. and Laura Roth of Blackwater at the Silver level, along with Margaret Powell of Pilot Grove, Lillian Wade of Marshall, and Tucker Sauer of Affton at the Bronze level. All received offers of theatre scholarships to add to their academic offers and other financial assistance.

The competition was so strong that Dr. Dori Waggoner, chair of the fine arts department at CMU, asked for permission to make larger offers than originally planned to the students in attendance.

“[You brought] exactly the kind of work ethic and skill that we want in our program,” Waggoner told the students before presenting the awards. “We really see you guys fitting into our culture.”

Dr. Mark Kelty, professor of theatre, expressed the same enthusiasm toward the students, adding that he was moved and impressed by the essays submitted for the competition.

“I seriously got choked up, and I’ve been in education for a long time,” he said. “It just reinforced for me why I’m still in education. . . It fills me with hope and great pleasure to read the things that you guys had to say.”

Olivia Rowles of Trine University and CMU’s Destiny Minor, ‘18, and Tristan Riggs, ‘21, teamed up to take third place in professional crime scene investigation at the March ACJA Conference.

Central Methodist University joined schools all across the nation in attending this spring’s American Criminal Justice Association – Lambda Alpha Epsilon National Conference. The 83rd iteration of the event took place from March 21-24 in Kansas City. CMU brought home a third-place finish in the crime scene competition at the professional level.

Members of Central’s criminal justice fraternity, Pi Lambda Alpha, attended the conference and competed in academic testing on a variety of topics, plus crime scene investigation, physical agility, and firearms. Though all the students and teams performed well, only the professional-level crime scene investigation team of shooting coach Tristan Riggs, ‘21, chapter advisor Destiny Minor, ‘18, and Trine University’s Olivia Rowles, came away with an award.

In preparation for the event, students practiced for the physical competitions and studied hard for the academic tests. They also welcomed Howard County coroner Trisha Clark, who shared her knowledge of crime scene investigation and helped answer the students’ questions.

Overall, Minor was happy with the team’s showing at the conference and is looking forward to more preparation for the regional competition in the fall.

“Even though we may not have placed as high as we wished, we are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication that our students have put in,” Minor said.

Central students attending the conference included Katelyn Streeter, Rachel Rodawald, Dacus Leech, Jobe Edwards, Bailey Grossman, Katarina Morris, and Johnathan Kirmse.

The trip was made possible by generous gifts from CMU donors.

Central Methodist University is about to add even more outstanding talent to its already robust music program. With the latest iteration of the annual Central’s Got Talent competition in February, two dozen of the region’s best recruits in vocal and instrumental music and praise band were awarded scholarships. Sofia Burks of Macon and Matt Hamilton of Troy were announced as the grand prize winners of full-tuition awards.

On what they’re most looking forward to about attending Central and being part of the Swinney Conservatory of Music, both CGT winners pointed to the welcoming community and beautiful campus, which they experienced throughout the day of competition.

“It’s really relaxing, like a small neighborhood. And the teachers actually care about you,” said

Hamilton, who performed on trumpet. “I’ve gone to other colleges and they haven’t had that, and it just doesn’t make you feel welcome. Here, I feel welcome.”

“Hearing the students talk about how welcoming and friendly and homey it is, that’s probably the top of the list,” Burks, who participated in the praise band competition, said for what she looks forward to about being a CMU student. “Being a part of the worship band, that’s definitely there, too.”

Burks, a senior at Macon High School, performed “Names” by Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music, which she said has lyrics that are very meaningful to her. She added that Maverick City Music was a group that motivated her to get into singing and performing at her church, which was not always in her “comfort zone.”

As for Hamilton, a senior at Troy Buchanan High School, playing the trumpet has been a focus of his life since sixth grade. He has since earned accolades at the district and state level for his performance and chose Herbert L. Clarke’s “The Bride of the Waves” for his CGT performance piece because it challenged him.

Burks and Hamilton were the top prize earners out of an elite group of six finalists on the day. The remaining finalists included Natalle Canote of Harrisburg in praise band, Evalyn Mateski of Morris, Ill. and Mallory Boyer of Troy in vocal performance, and Hannah Raley of Jefferson City in instrumental performance. All were awarded music scholarships stackable with other academic awards.

The rest of the field of performers, who also received music scholarships from Central, included Thomas Libbert of Freeburg, Mariah Nichols of Fulton, Taylor Baker of Mt. Vernon, Josh Abbott of Wardsville, Lillian Wade of Marshall, Shane Winston of Sweet Springs, Nealia Toedebusch of Centralia, Max Blankenship of Troy, Madisyn Conway of Salisbury, Quinsie Millar of Salisbury, Trinity Thompkins of Independence, Devin Rodgerson of Ashland, Neb., Jordyn Williamson of Boonville, Kate Schneringer of Boonville, Madelyn Ganley of Hallsville, Tambria Wilson of Cape Girardeau, Allison Gowin of Moberly, and Vincent Srader of Lee’s Summit. The Central Methodist University DECA team gave its most impressive performance yet at April’s Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Baltimore, Md. All five CMU students made the finals of their respective competitions, while sophomore Alexis McClure brought home a third-place trophy.

Representing Central at the international competition were McClure in Managerial Accounting; senior Rachel Smith, chapter president, in Travel and Tourism; sophomore Caitlyn King in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing; and sophomore Stephanie Rodriguez and junior Alan “AJ” Joens in the Event Planning team event. The CMU five were among nearly 70 Missouri students and advisors to attend the conference.

Competition occurred in two rounds, with high-scoring competitors selected to compete in the second and final round. All Central participants made the final round cut in this year’s competition, earning them recognition on stage and medals to take home. McClure and Smith earned proficiency medals as well for scoring high in the individual events.

Central collegiate DECA advisor Dr. Dave Hickman called this year’s results “very significant and a big improvement for CMU,” as just one student made it to the final round at the 2021 ICDC.

In addition to the competition, the CMU Collegiate DECA chapter’s semester also saw its completion of the Leadership Passport Program. The passport program is a set of activities completed by chapters and/ or individuals that are completed in order to achieve different levels of recognition. Activities come from categories emphasized by DECA: Academically Prepared, Community Oriented, Professionally Responsible, and Experienced Leaders.

Central was the only chapter in Missouri to complete the program and one of only 18 chapters in the country to do so. Eight CMU students earned individual recognition as well, the only Missouri DECA students to do so. Rodriguez, Keighlan Cronin, Daylor Dial, Mia Mueller, Madison White, and Egle Kavaliunaite earned recognition at the Executive level, while Kelena Oots and Jayklin Smith achieved the Diplomat level, which is the second-highest possible.

The mission of Collegiate DECA is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. This mission translates into graduates who are academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leaders. DECA values competence, innovation, integrity, and teamwork. As a member of DECA, students apply their academics and develop professional skills through community service, individual and professional development activities, and academic competition.

DECA team members (from left) included Rachel Smith, Caitlyn King, Alexis McClure, Stephanie Rodriguez, and Alan “AJ” Joens. McClure (below) brought home a third-place trophy in Managerial Accounting.

Dr. Paula Findlen speaks on Laura Bassi and Maria Gaetana Agnesi in her Perry Lecture on Faith and Science.

BY EMILY KESEL

The Thomas A. Perry Faith and Science Lecture was held on campus at Central Methodist University this semester for the first time since 2019, as Central welcomed Dr. Paula Findlen to speak.

Findlen, who was originally scheduled to give the lecture in 2020, finally got the chance to present her talk on “Scientists and Saints: Laura Bassi and Maria Gaetana Agnesi in Eighteenth-Century Italy” in front of a crowd in the Inman Lecture Hall.

“We’ve been planning this for almost three years now, thanks to COVID,” she said as she was introduced. “It’s still, for some of us, a novelty to go somewhere you haven’t been and actually give a live talk to a live audience.”

Findlen spoke for nearly an hour on Bassi and Agnesi, “two of the most prominent and celebrated women of science in the 18th century,” as she called them.

“They are complementary examples of what it meant to pursue faith with science and science with faith,” explained Findlen.

Both women were born in Italy in a time when the trial of Galileo in the previous century – for believing that the Earth revolves around the sun – was sparking efforts to reconcile some of the differences between science and religion in Catholic Italy. This relationship between faith and science was key to both women’s lives, though in meaningfully different ways, according to Findlen.

Bassi, a member of a middle-class family from Bologna, worked to educate herself and became the first woman in the city to earn a degree and a professorship. She gave her first lecture in public in 1732 in front of many male scholars and clerics, who surely had in mind the Biblical passages that forbid such a thing.

“But I think Bassi, and many of the clerics there, also knew the passage from Galatians [3:28]: ‘There is no longer. . . male nor female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus,’” Findlen posited. “Thus, she became a woman to teach physics and philosophy to men in this university, with full support of church leadership, and did that for the rest of her life.”

Agnesi, on the other hand, was the oldest daughter of a wealthy man in Milan who encouraged her to debate on scientific subjects at his parties. She would eventually be offered a professorship by the same patron who encouraged Bassi – the man who eventually became Pope Benedict XIV – but she turned it down and, after her father’s death, focused on promoting the “urban mission of faith” through charity, education, and social work.

“That was her answer for what she ultimately thought it meant to be useful,” said Findlen, “to use her knowledge and her learning, but also to use her faith.”

Both women were ultimately remembered for their scientific contributions and their faithful charity, subjects that were never really in opposition to each other for either of them.

Findlen, who concluded her talk by taking questions for half an hour, is a professor of Early Modern Europe and History of Science in the Stanford University History Department. Her research and teaching focuses on the early history of science and medicine, including the relationship between knowledge and faith in Galileo’s world and the history of early modern women pursuing science.

Dr. Thomas Perry, the namesake of the lecture series, spent 20 year as chairman of the English department at Central. He was also the chair of the Division of Literature and Languages and chair of the honors program. He sponsored Scribblers and Scrawlers, a club for aspiring creative writers, hosting and entertaining them monthly at his home. Perry is the late father of Tad Perry, former chairman of the Board of Trustees at CMU.

To view Findlen’s full lecture, visit https://vimeo.com/697426717