Dr. Mary Lou Brown, former division chair for Business, Math, Education, Science and Technology at Three Rivers, will serve as the Dean of Academic Instruction. Brown will oversee the administration of all academic curriculum at Three Rivers.
“Dr. Brown’s experience in the classroom, curriculum development, collaboration and articulation, and divisional leadership over her 24 years with Three Rivers has been instrumental in bringing the college to where it is today,” said Dr. Wes Payne, Vice President for Learning at Three Rivers.
Brown was selected based on input from an interview committee, a college wide forum, and responses to questions during the final interview with college president Dr. Devin Stephenson and Payne. Payne reported that the retirement of several high-level staff members has allowed the college the opportunity to re-examine academic leadership roles and functions.
“I have determined that there is an opportunity to reorganize the instructional functions of the college to better ensure efficiency and student success,” said Payne. “To that end, the three divisions of Humanities and Social Science; Health and Human Services; and Business, Education, Mathematics, Science, and Technology will be eliminated.”
According to Payne, two instructional divisions will be formed instead: The academic division, which Brown will oversee, will house the general education and transfer programs of Three Rivers. The second division will focus on the career education and workforce development functions of the college. The position of Dean of Career Education and Workforce Development will be filled on an interim basis while a search is conducted.
“As the college continues to move forward, the personnel in leadership roles need to be excellent collaborators, efficient delegators, creators of opportunity, partnership developers, and ‘big picture’ visionaries,” stated Payne. “The Dean of Academic Instruction must be an individual who thrives in a transformational environment and possesses a great tolerance for adaptation and change.”
Faculty and staff noted during the open forum that experience, delegation of duties, management style, and conflict resolution were important factors in their assessment of the candidates. A number of personnel believed it important that the selected candidate possess a doctoral degree.
“I have always needed to work in a job where I feel passion for what I do, and where I feel that I can make a difference,” said Brown, who has worked for Three Rivers for 24 years. “I am excited and humbled to have been selected for this Dean’s position. I am happy to be part of the leadership team that will take Three Rivers to the next level.”
Brown holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri, and has taught and worked at Three Rivers since 1988, having previously worked as a math teacher in schools across the U.S. She lives in Poplar Bluff with her husband.
ShowMe Times Staff Writer
Advance High graduate and now a Junior at Arkansas State University, Tess Wheetley traveled to Memphis, TN to audition for the TV show The Voice.
Tess graduated in 2010 from Advance High School where she had played volleyball, softball, and was a cheerleader, but her main thing was music. Tess was in the High School Choir and has traveled to and from Columbia for State competitions. She has won several awards for her voice and one of them was a scholarship to Arkansas State. She was majoring in Music Education, but just recently changed her major to Psychology.
The Voice is on NBC and is a reality show for singers. Like American Idol and The X-Factor, The Voice has four judges, who are noteworthy recording artist. The judges sit in front of the singer, but they are not facing them. When a judge likes what they hear they turn around and that singer is on their list to go to the next round, but if two or all of the judges turn around they then get to move on and not have to battle to the next round.
So on Saturday Tess went to Memphis to audition. She got in line at 6:30am and was inside the building by 7:45am.
Tess said, "It was very organized and there wasn't a lot of waiting around. We were in and out."
Which is always good for the anxious people waiting for a chance to be famous. Tess went in ready to sing Summertime from the musical Porgy and Bess and after she finished the judges asked her to sing a more popular song. So she sang a few lines from Adele's song Someone Like You.
Tess didn't make it to the next round, but you never know if you're going to make it until you try. So good job Tess and don't give up and keep trying!
JONESBORO, Ark. - More than 2,000 students have been named to the Chancellor’s and Deans’ lists for the spring 2012 semester at Arkansas State University. The two lists recognize students who achieved the highest grade point averages while enrolled in 12 or more credit hours of study.
The Chancellor’s List includes students who earned a grade point average of 3.80 to 4.0 for the semester. The Deans’ List includes students with a grade point average of 3.6 to 3.79.
Students from Stoddard County earning academic honors at ASU this past semester as reported by the ASU Office of University Comunications include:
- Grant Cagle, Bernie, Chancellor’s List
- Morgan Hedrick, Dexter, Chancellor’s List
- Timothy Moore, Dexter, Chancellor’s List
- Andrew Robey, Dexter, Dean’s List
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop 800 acres on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA. The university marked its centennial year in 2009.
POPLAR BLUFF – A Dexter construction firm has been awarded the contract for a $2.2 million project at Three Rivers College.
C.A. Walker Construction in Dexter was awarded the contract for the renovation of the Three Rivers College’s Academic Resource Commons. The Academic Resource Commons (ARC) will provide a centralized location for all the campus’ academic support services.
The Three Rivers Board of Trustees awarded the renovation contract C.A. Walker Construction at its June meeting.
The ARC currently includes the Rutland Library and the Public Computing Center. The renovated ARC will also house all academic assistance programs, with spaces for tutoring, Student Support Services, the TRIO program, study rooms and more.
The renovation project will be paid for with funds received several years ago from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority for building projects, said college president Dr. Devin Stephenson.
“This cost will not come out of college reserves and is not included in the FY13 budget.” Stephenson said.
“The renovated ARC will be that one-stop academic support center that will really be the hub for non-classroom learning and student interaction,” said Dr. Wesley Payne, Vice President for Learning at Three Rivers. “We’ve designed this with a very friendly and welcoming environment that is very holistic in the way that it approaches student need.”
The new ARC will also be the home of the re-designed Remedial Developmental Education Program, which Payne describes as “a federally funded effort to find a more effective way to bring students up to college readiness standards.”
“A number of students that we admit need basic instruction in English, math and reading,” said Payne. “Traditionally, it takes them a long time to get through it. By redesigning how we instruct these students, and by moving to a competency-based model, we hope to increase the success of the students and decrease the time it takes them to become ready to take college-level classes.”
The ARC also is the genesis for the more traditional architecture the college is moving forward within the campus’ master plan designed by Dille and Traxel architecture firm, Stephenson said. It will be the first building to receive this new look.
“I feel confident about this decision,” said Board Chair Randy Winston. “With Walker Construction located in Dexter, we’re still taking a ‘local’ bid and utilizing our local workforce. We’ve all been very pleased with the work Mr. Walker did at our Center in Dexter, and I think we can expect more of the same.”
“This is the launch of the future of the college,” said Stephenson. “This project is our number-one priority on campus. The Academic Resource Commons is the fulfillment of a dream in our promotion of student success and academic achievement. It will be a key element in our efforts to move students toward their educational goals and help them realize their dreams for a brighter future. We’ve been working for over a year and a half to get to this point. I’m overwhelmed to see this approval vote today.”
Photo Above: Kendra Elder of Bloomfield receives a certificate from Tony Anderson, Division Director with the Agriculture Business Division with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Elder was selected and participated in this summers Missouri Agribusiness Academy. The presentation was made in the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. (Missouri Department of Agriculture photo)
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
JEFFERSON CITY - A Stoddard County student is one of 30 of Missouri's high school sophomores join an elite group this summer at the Missouri Agribusiness Academy.
Kendra Elder, the daughter of Jerry and Pam Elder of Bloomfield, represented Southeast Missouri in the 2012 Missouri Agribusiness Academy. She is a sophomore at Bloomfield High School and an active member of the school’s FFA chapter, which is led by advisor Chad Upchurch.
The Missouri Agribusiness Academy is a hands-on agricultures career academy with students from throughout the state. Students were selected through a competitive interview process to meet with leaders from agribusinesses specializing in animal health, communications, sales and financial management in Columbia, St. Louis and Jefferson City.
"The Agribusiness Academy is an opportunity for bright young folks in our state to sit down with top leaders in agriculture, government and education to explore the many diverse opportunities ahead of them," said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler. "Agriculture impacts every sector of our economy and every community in our great state. There is a bright future for young people in agriculture and it is vital that we attract the next generation of agricultural leaders."
The students gathered in Columbia to begin the week exploring the University of Missouri's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. They traveled to St. Louis where they toured facilties and met ag leaders, and returned to Mid-Missouri Thursday. They ended their week in Jefferson City with a graduation ceremony at the State Capitol. Missouri's 2011 Ag Educator of the Year, Dr. Terry Heiman, gave the keynote address during the afternoon ceremony.
During the week, the students met with and worked alongside staff and leadership at Ad Farm, the Danforth Plant Science Center, Monsanto, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Begin New Adventure Center at St. Patrick's Center. The 2012 MAbA class also toured St. Louis-area farmers' markets and urban gardens, including City Seed Urban Farm.
Since 1988, the Missouri Agribusiness Academy has awarded more than 700 academy memberships through a competitive application and interview process. The students represent more than 25 4-H clubs and FFA chapters from all regions of Missouri.
To be eligible for the Agribusiness Academy, students must come from a farming family or be an active member of the National FFA Organization or 4-H.
