• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2011-05-27_Vol77_No07_02

May 27th, 2011 WESTERN CAROLINIAN Page 2 NEWS Western Carolina holds commencement for graduate students From Staff Reports A Western Carolina Uni- versity faculty member who has been recognized as one of the University of North Caro- lina systems best teachers de- livered the primary address'on . Friday, May 6 as WCU held commencement exercises at Ramsey Regional Activity Center to honor the accom- plishments of approximately - 325 graduate students. In his address to the gradu- ating students and their fami- lies and friends, Aaron Ball, professor of engineering and technology, spoke about his philosophy of teaching and desire to utilize hands-on applications that supplement and reinforce learning in the classroom. _ To be a good teacher, one must be a good student, com- mitted to staying current in a dynamic global world and passionate about the job, Ball said. I am constantly look- ing at ways to bring reality to the classroom and expose students to experiences that prepare them to go Baiene the classroom. Students are why we as faculty are here, and the great- est personal motivation is be- ing in a position to make a - difference in the lives of our students, he said. I feel for- PHOTO BY MARK HASKETT -tunate to have such a reward- ing job. Ball also spoke to the grad- uating students about being proud and taking pride. Be proud of your accom- plishments, and remember this evening, especially, he said. Your parents are cer- tainly proud of you and of what you have accomplished, and they have made many sacrifices to get you to where you are today. They deserve your respect and gratitude for Jil aes a major part of your, success. All of you are our most valuable players as the next, generation of leaders. It is you who will be our role models, teachers, engineers, nurses, business managers, coaches and parents, Ball said. Take "pride in your accomplish- ments, your family, your heri- tage and yourself. Be proud of who you ate, where you came from, and set goals for self improvement. You are WCU. Be proud to be a Catamount! Ball recently was named a yee) * recipient of the UNC systems highest teaching honor, the ~ Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. - One award is given annually _ to a faculty member on each UNC campus to recognize su- perior teaching. In his charge to the gradu- ating students, WCU Chan- . cellor John W. Bardo spoke about the great societal and economic changes he has seen during his academic career, and he advised the graduating . students that they are leaving - the university well-prepared , to face the changes coming in the future. What Western Carolina ; is about is preparing you for: work, but it is also about pre- - paring you for a life of leader- . ship, he said. We need you. . to lead. You have the skills and the education to lead. Tm excited to see what will happen in your future, Bardo said. All the best to you for.a job well done, and congratulations. The graduate students whe \ have been completing their . degrees at WCU this semester are part of a spring graduating - class that totals about 1,250 students. A complete list of all of WCUs new graduates will , be announced following the : posting of grades from finals. . WCU featured in The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges From Staff Reports Western Carolina Uni-' > versity is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company selected WCU for inclusion in the second annual edition | __ of its free downloadable book The Princeton Reviews Guide to 311 Green Colleges: | 2011 Edition. Created by The Princ- eton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Build- ing Council and released. two days prior to the April 22 cel- ebration of the 41st anniver- sary of Earth Day, the book is the only free, comprehensive guidebook profiling institu- tions of higher education that demonstrate a notable commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activi- ties and career preparation. The Princeton Review chose the schools based on a survey of administrators at hundreds ah billions that the company ; polled in 2010 about their schools sustainability initia- tives. We are excited about our progress at Western Carolina University toward becoming a greener, more environmen- tally-friendly campus, said Lauren Bishop, campus energy manager. WCUs profile in the re- cently released guide discuss- es the success of the WHEE Save campuswide energy conservation program, which is now called Reducing Our Carbon Paw Print, that re- sulted in a 10 to 15 percent reduction in energy usage on campus through behavior modification alone. Also under way at WCU is a $5.6 milliofi energy per- formance contract for several campus buildings that will in- troduce more energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning, lighting and building en- velope modifications, Peng yale energy improye- Karvonen wins orant to improve tests: Western professor elected GSOA fellow WCU News Services Meagan Karvonen, associ- ate professor of educational research at Western Caro- - lina University, won a grant of more than $900,000 for a study designed to help de- velop more meaningful ways of assessing the progress of students who have significant cognitive disabilities. Unlike large-scale, general education tests that assess students mastery of new and previous knowledge and help teachers plan what to teach, typical alternate assessments administered to students who have significant cogni- tive disabilities take snapshot measurements of proficiency within a year but fail to sup- port learning that builds across years, said Karvonen. We were driven to do this work so that there can be meaningful links between assessment and instruction so that teachers are better equipped to teach to high ex- pectations for a population that historically has been ex- cluded based on assumptions about what they cant do : e so that students: have an op- portunity to build skills over time, she said. With funding from a U.S. Department of Education Enhanced Assessment Grant, Karvonen and = Shawnee Wakeman, a special educa- tion faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, recently began studying content and _per- formance expectations ovet time of alternate assessments administered in Arizona, Maryland, South Dakota and Wyoming. They are examin- ing the contents of the assess- ments, three years of student achievement data, and teach- er and student variables. They also will provide technical as- sistance to states on interpret- ing and using their findings to improve assessment systems. Our research is about laying the foundation so we can start to look at progress across grades and creating meaningful progressions for learning and assessing, said Karvonen. Karvonen has been in- volved in research on alter- nate assessments since states and look forward to expanding those efforts in the future, ae and. ments. The guide also notes that among energy conservation achievements at WCU was /a 15 percent reduction in pe- troleum usage in five years by introducing six neighborhood electric vehicles and. switch- ing to E10, a blend of ethanol and unleaded gas to power the campus fleet. In addition, the report were first required to imple- ment them in 2000. T started with evaluating a federally funded project | that provided professional de- velopment for teachers who were learning how to handle ' has been elected a fellow of the Geological Society of the new alternate assessment requirements, she said. Af- ter several years of research on this new field, I worked | with colleagues on develop- ing a new methodology for investigating alignment of cur | riculum and instruction for ' distinguished contributions to standards, assessment, students. who take this type of assessment. This method is now widely accepted. What we learned through those | alignment studies led us to the latest project. notes that 9 percent of WCUs food budget is spent on lo- cal or organic food, and that WCU hosts a variety of ef- forts and projects to green the - campus, including recycling - drives, Campus Sustainability Day and Earth Day. The Princeton Review first created the resource for col- lege-bound students in 2010 with the U.S. Green Build- WCU News Services Rob Young, professor of geology at Western Carolina University and director of the - Program for the Study of De- veloped Shorelines at WCU, America. To become a fellow, an honor reserved. for less than : 3 percent of the national soci- etys members, honorees must be nominated by an existing GSA fellow in recognition of the geosciences and approved by the entire GSA senate. Young was nominated in recognition of his. sustained contributions to the science _ ing Council, which is known for developing the LEED standard for green building certification. Last. fall, _US- GBC launched its Center for Green Schools to increase its efforts to drive change in how campuses and schools are de- signed, constructed and op- _ erated so that all educational . facilities can enhance student learning experiences. College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues, said Robert Franek, senior vice president for publish- | ing at The Princeton Review. Among 8,200 college appli- cants who participated in our spring 2011 College Hopes & Worries Survey, nearly 7 out of 10 said having infor- mation about a schools com- mitment to the environment would influence their deci- sion to apply to or attend the school. Together with the US- GBC, we are pleased to make this free resource available to allstudents seeking to attend colleges that practice, teach and support Sas of coastal geology and coastal hazards. He also was cited for his public service and out- reach work with coastal com- munities, the National Park Service and state government, and for his role in communi- cating science to the general public through the media. Young is author of The Rising Sea, a book about the threat posed to coastal com- munities by global warm- ing. In addition, his appoint- ments have included service on the Science Panel on Coastal Hazards that advises the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission, the South Carolina Blue Rib- bon Committee on Shoreline Management, and the N.C. _ General Assemblys Offshore Energy Exploration Study Committee. He also serves on the board of directors for the Olympic Park Institute in the state of Washington, where he has been involved with an ongo- ing collaborative partnership with the institute through a $1.5 million National Science Foundation-funded initiative. called the Elwha Science Ed- -aspx and www.centerfor- responsible choices. We high- ly recommend the colleges i in nn this book. . Rick Fedrizzi, presi CEO and founding chair of the USGBC, said the coun- cil launched the Center for , Green Schools with a vision } : of green schools for all. hin this generation. _ deat A green campus can. transform the college expe- rience for students through enhanced sustainability education and by creating healthy living and learn- : ing environments, all while : saving energy, water and _ money as part of an institu- tions bottom line, said Fe- drizzi. Partnering with The Princeton Review to provide this invaluable resource to : college-bound students was a _ no-brainer for helping to cre- ate transformational change on these campuses. The free guide can be downloaded at www.princ- | etonreview.com/green-guide.. greenschools.org/greenguide. ea) S + ucation Project. The initiative involves inviting young peo- . ple from Washingtons Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to in- . vestigate how the nations largest dam removal project would affect the tribes cul- tural heritage. In addition, Young is a frequent contributor to the popular media. He has written articles for publications in- cluding the New York Times, | USA Today, Architectural Re- - cord, the Houston Chronicle and The (Raleigh) News & Observer. He has appeared _ on shows ranging from PBS Now to CNNs Anderson , Cooper 360. 4 Young will be recognized . as a GSA fellow at the nation- - al meeting of the association - to be held in Minneapolis in ~~ October. ra 4

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2011-05-27
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 11.5"
  • Pages: 12
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2011-05-27_Vol77_No07
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library