Topic: Education

The true cost of pork spending

By James Butler | June 30, 2008 |

Austin Peay State University President Timothy Hall made an announcement Thursday that weighs heavily on the minds of all involved with the University. The Tennessee Board of Regents voted to increase tuition at five of Tennessee’s institutions for higher education by six percent in response to the State government reducing funding by that amount. At first glance this does not seem to be a huge hike as the dollar amount of the increase at APSU is no more than $313.08. What is worse, however, is that even with the tuition increase, Austin Peay is left with a budget deficit to the tune of $600,000, according to President Hall.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Issues, News, Opinion, Politics | 2 Comments

Of pens, peonies and summer rain…

By Christine Anne Piesyk | June 29, 2008 |

‘On the Road in America’ is an occasional column of meanderings and musings, written during my semi-annual sojourn north.

After the first bursts of near tropical heat in Clarksville, the cooling summer rain in Vermont is a gift to cherish. It began last night, after a day of haze and clouds. It ushered in coolness somewhere around sunset, and by nightfall I could hear the raindrops lightly kissing the brick sidewalks, dripping lightly from the eaves. No blustering wind, no storms. Just that gentle rain.

This morning I walked by a bank of peonies, damp and brightened by that rain, slightly bent by the weight of water. The temptation to pick a few stems was strong.

We are a large group this semester at Goddard College, writers all of poetry, prose, fiction and non, memoir, plays and screenplays, even graphic novels. Unlike other residencies here, this one — by its very nature as an MFA writing program — requires a certain amount of solitude in and around such activities as workshops, advisor sessions, seminars, and sometimes heated discussions abut things like style, form, voice, perspective, language… Students meet, interact and retreat for the solitary task that is composition. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Education, Opinion, Spirituality | No Comments

Kick crime to the curb

By Christine Anne Piesyk | June 27, 2008 |

I’ve been looking over the two years’ worth of notes I’ve kept for story ideas, all rooted in what I have observed within the Montgomery County boundaries. From a distance, a temporary vantage point in the northeast, and the rest of the time from the porch of my home in Clarksville, I’ve followed the shootings and killings and robberies in Clarksville, the ones that happen in the dead of night, the ones that happen in broad daylight in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and a string of crimes in between. Crimes of inebriation or addiction, crimes of passion or hate, crimes of despair, crimes of rage, crimes rooted in poverty and need, crimes anchored in greed Am I the only one not surprised?

I feel the strongest sympathy and sadness for the families, the residents involved, the innocent bystanders with lives sometimes forever shattered. But I do believe this escalation in violent crime is a tragedy waiting to happen, one that will repeat itself many more times if the city, the schools, the police and all of us — everyday citizens — don’t become involved in our community, if we fail to stand behind a call to get tough and enforce the laws already on the books, and toughen up the sentencing and cut off the “deals” that spew offenders back onto the streets with minimal sentences and penalties too easily shrugged off. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Issues, Opinion, Politics | No Comments

AARP: A resource for seniors, ‘boomers

By Rev. Charles Moreland | June 22, 2008 |

AARP (American Association of retired Persons) is a national organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for senior citizens. Clarksville has a dynamic AARP chapter where an enthusiastic groups of people age 50 and meet socially and serve the community with a variety of social actions.

AARP is political but non-partisan, and wields considerable influence on state and federal legislation, serving as the voice of their demographics. They do so without endorsing specific candidates and they remain issue oriented.

To educate and inform their membership. AARP publishes a monthly magazine with the largest circulation in America. the March/April edition got my attention with the cover photo of a smiling Jack Nicholson, one of the outstanding actors of our generation.

Besides an insightful article on him, the magazine from cover to cover offers articles with practical information. Two articles in particular that apply to many of us involve dealing with stress: “Riding Out a Recession” and “Finding Faith” (a search for spiritual peace). «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Events, Issues, Opinion | 1 Comment »

‘Abstinence Only’ is government censorship

By Chris Lugo | June 20, 2008 |

Chris Lugo, author of this position statement, is the Green party Candidate for the Tennessee State Senate.

According to a recent report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at least one in four teenage girls nationwide have a sexually transmitted disease. Clearly abstinence only school programs do not deter young people from sexual activity, but in fact this direction actually deters young adults from access to information that they need to make responsible and safe choices. We must act immediately to withdraw funding for this program and allow teachers to present sensible sexual education curriculum.

As a candidate for federal office I believe that young people must be presented with all the facts available to them. Instead of relying on religious rhetoric and the value system of a fundamentalist minority, I believe that we must look clearly at human behavior as biological fact. The school system is not an avenue for proselytizing about various belief systems. Sexual activity is a fact of life, much like any other human activity and young people need to know the facts before it is too late. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Issues, Opinion | 2 Comments

Florim USA donation to fund scholarships

June 19, 2008 |

Austin Peay State University recently received a financial gift from Florim USA to be used for scholarships. Florim USA has committed to fund annual scholarships in memory of its founder, Ing Giovanni Lucchese. The scholarships are for students majoring in marketing, computer science and chemistry.

Pictured (from left) are Aaron Taylor, APSU computer science student; Tim Swaw, Florim USA human resources manager; Dr. Bruce Myers, APSU computer science chair; APSU President Tim Hall; Dr. William Rayburn, director of the APSU School of Business; Giancarlo Adani, Florim USA vice president of operations; and Alex Silkowski, APSU marketing student. Not photographed is Kimberly Anderson, APSU chemistry student.

Sections: Education, News, Technology | No Comments

Caleb Wherry begins NASA internship

June 16, 2008 |

An Austin Peay State University computer science student will spend the summer and Fall 2008 semester as an intern in a highly competitive National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program. Caleb Wherry recently accepted a position in NASA’s Undergraduate Student Research Program. He will receive a total stipend of $15,000 as an intern.

Wherry began June 3 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif. On Sept. 2, he will begin the fall semester at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., and remain there until Dec. 12. During the Langley internship, Wherry will work with atmospheric scientist Mike Pitts, whose research focuses on the formation and evolution of polar stratospheric clouds using data known as CALIPSO.

Langley Research Center has a new atmospheric trajectory model that staff would like to use to study how the clouds form and evolve with time. Wherry will help the center run the computer models for a number of different scenarios and possibly interface the model with the CALIPSO measurements. Wherry will return to APSU for the Spring 2009 semester.

Sections: Education, News, Technology | No Comments

Dr. Anne Wall honored for excellence in teaching, learning and technology

June 16, 2008 |

Dr. Anne Wall, assistant professor in the School of Education at Austin Peay State University, recently received the Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

Wall accepted the award during a special ceremony held at the 19th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, April 16 in Jacksonville, Fla. A total of 42 colleges and universities from around the world nominated faculty to receive awards.

Wall came to APSU in 2004. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Kansas, a Master of Arts and Education Specialist degrees from Austin Peay and a Doctor of Education from Tennessee State University.

Sections: Education, News, Technology | No Comments