American Idol isn’t the only favorite singing competition around. Oklahoma State University had 16 student winners at the Oklahoma District National Association of Teachers of Singing Vocal Competition held at Southern Nazarene University.

More than 200 college students participated and were subject to three rounds of competition in which they were asked to sing in three different languages. OSU had the largest number of participants, says OSU assistant professor John Seesholtz, one of three faculty to instruct OSU’s vocal talent.

“Each student has their own unique style and each pursues music in their own different way,” said Seesholtz. “This wide range of student talent is very important to the success of our voice program at OSU.”

OSU music majors who advanced to finals were: Mason Combes, Ponca City senior; Rebecca Cook, Owasso junior; Stephen Cunningham, Denton, Texas, graduate student; Anthony Edds, Waco, Texas, junior; Zac Engle, Ponca City senior; Steven Eslick, Bristow junior; Jonathon Higdon, Stillwater incoming freshman; Ryan Lane, Checotah freshman; Kyrstan Langer, Huntingburg, Ind., senior; Paige Martin, Anadarko freshman; Jamie May, Tulsa senior; Morgan Reynolds, Stillwater senior; Marie Sanders, Southlake, Texas, sophomore; Laurynn Smith, Tulsa senior; Max Vowel, Edmond junior; and Anthony Weber, Fort Worth, Texas, freshman.

Those placing in the final competition were CookCook reviews, first place in the junior women division; Combes, third place adult; Cunningham, second place graduate; Eslick, first place senior men; Higdon, second place adult; Langer, first place senior women; Martin, second place freshmen women; Reynolds, first adult; Smith, third place senior women; and Vowel, first place junior men.

The voice students were under the direction of assistant professors Anné-Marie Condacse , April Golliver and Seesholtz. The OSU Department of Music is one of 24 departments in the College of Arts & Sciences. To learn more visit http://cas.okstate.edu.

“Five hundred thousand Oklahomans will wake up today and wonder where their next meal will come from. Oklahoma ranks as the sixth hungriest state in the nation, but thanks to donors, volunteers and advocates, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is ‘Fighting HungerHunger reviews...Feeding Hope.’”

This excerpt from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma tugs on the hearts of many Oklahomans, including specialists from Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center.

Thanks to the approval of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, the FAPC can now donate perishable food products to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and has since donated 600 pounds of ground beef to the non-profit organization.

This action allows the FAPC to forgo disposing the meat and other perishable food items through sealed bid or public auction and simply donate the surplus directly to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

“The FAPC’s mission is to add value to Oklahoma,” said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC manager of business and marketing relations. “We are honored to have this opportunity to add value to people’s lives beyond our day-to-day activities of assisting manufacturers, processors and entrepreneurs.”

Most of the meat generated from FAPC and the department of animal science is sold through FAPC’s Cowboy Meats. However, before the OSU/A&M Board of Regents approval, if these products were not sold in a timely manner, they had to be discarded, according to OSU Policy 3-0126 – Disposition of Surplus Property.

The FAPC estimated a $3,700 inventory loss in 2001 and a $6,900 inventory loss in 2003 because of discarded items.

“All in all, we have done a pretty good job of selling meats from research and teaching activities, but we want to have this option to donate when the need or opportunity arises,” Willoughby said.

Because of this and a request from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the FAPC asked the OSU/A&M Board of Regents to consider the donation of perishable food items to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma but under strict guidelines that provide accountability and demonstrate responsible inventory management and stewardship of OSU resources.

“This OSU initiative will help many Oklahomans who are struggling to put food on their table, and for that, we are extremely grateful,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “Since the recession hit, we’ve experienced a significant increase in demand. In July 2009 alone, we distributed 3.1 million pounds of food - the most ever distributed in a single month in the 30-year history of the Regional Food Bank.”

Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma has distributed more than 293 million pounds of food worth more than $468 million. In fiscal year 2008, the Food Bank distributed 25 million pounds of food, enough to feed 63,600 Oklahomans every week. However, its greatest need continues to be protein products.

“This is a win-win situation,” said OSU President Burns Hargis, who helped establish the Regional Food Bank and has served as the organization’s president. “The FAPC will be able to make use of perishable food surplus in a timely manner and help meet a need in our statewide community, which extends the teaching, research and extension mission of the university.”

The Board’s approval also allows the FAPC to handle the meat processing for individuals and businesses that may want to make a donation to the Regional Food Bank.

“The Food Bank often will have individuals and business entities who are willing to donate live animals and/or meat in need of further processing but have difficulty finding processors to donate their services,” Willoughby said. “Thus, the FAPC would like to consider providing the processing services of live animals and/or meat donated to the Food Bank when such activity fits the current needs of the teaching, research and extension programs and does not over burden current FAPC resources.”

The Regional Food Bank is a private nonprofit organization that acts as a link through which the food industry and community may donate food and other goods. The products are then distributed to more than 700 charitable feeding programs and schools in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. For more information about the Regional Food Bank, go to http://www.regionalfoodbank.org/.

Antron Brown, driver of the Don Schumacher Racing-owned Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster, recently brought some high octane enthusiasm to the campus at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.  After weeks of troubleshooting 180 horsepower cars designed for morning commutes and cruising suburbia, Automotive Technology students at OSUIT were ready for something different.  Brown had the answer; a 7,000 horsepower, fire-breathing racing machine, that would soon be tearing up the track at the 22nd Annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals.

“I really enjoy these school visits we do for Matco (Tools),” Brown said. “It wasn’t too long ago that I was in college; it’s nice to give back and speak to students about career paths and the importance of focusing on education.  These are the technicians of the future, and I want to bring a message to them about the importance of their careers.”

Brown not only challenged the students to think about their futures, he also challenged them to contests of reaction time.  Using a model which simulated two dragsters side-by-side at an NHRA starting line, Brown and a student watched a scale model “Christmas Tree” count down to the green light.  The first to put the “pedal to the metal” won.

“Brown’s presentation gives another insight into a different part of the automotive industry,” said OSUIT Toyota T-Ten faculty Jerry Biddle.  “It’s very motivational.  The students come away with a very good feeling.”

Brown, 34, is the only racer in NHRA history to win races in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle.  He has 24 career wins, eight in Top Fuel, and 23 career No.1 qualifying awards.

About Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology offers high-quality technical training in more than 20 technical professions, planned and guided with the support of leading companies, industries, and high technology firms. As a result, students learn the latest technical advances that meet the demanding needs of employers.

For more information call 918.293.4680 or 1.800.722.4471. Information also is available online at www.osuit.edu.

Student Union project enhancing OSU treasure

We have enjoyed record construction and improvements to the Oklahoma State University campus in recent years and we now are embarked on a historic renovation of the Student Union.  You may have noticed that the facelift is in full swing. 

The OSU Student Union has served as the main campus gathering place for 60 years and today more than one million visitors pass through its doors every year.

OSU President Henry Bennett’s 1937 campus plan included a union that would become the hub of campus life and a venue for public use.  Students shared that vision and funded the $4.3 million project through a self-imposed tax. 

The Student Union groundbreaking took place in 1948 and the building opened in 1950.  The building has been expanded and upgraded through the years to address student and campus needs.  With more than 611,000 square-feet, the union is the country’s largest and most comprehensive, with a hotel, fine dining, parking garage and a long list of services. 

OSU students continue to believe strongly in the mission of the Student Union.  They are to be commended for approving a student fee in 2007 to generate the initial $50 million for the current $80 million project.  The remainder will be funded through university funds, bonds and private donations.

The project will expand and enhance space, improve traffic flow and address aging infrastructure.  A highlight is a plaza being built between the union and Classroom Building.  In response to student and employee feedback requesting increased casual space for gathering and interaction, the plaza will serve as a “town center” for the campus and feature expanded outdoor seating, pleasant landscaping and plenty of room for outdoor programming. 

The renovation inside the building is under way and this month we are opening bookstore and dining services in a temporary building off the northeast corner of the Classroom Building.  The facility, called U-too, will house the union’s core services for a little more than a year.  We expect to open the new and improved union in August 2011. 

The completed project will combine the union’s bookstore and apparel shop into one large comprehensive store.  Dining will be improved with new, fresh concepts and an updated area with more seating. 

A welcome change will be the relocation of the Campus Life organization to the second floor.  With more space and greater visibility, Campus Life can do an even better job connecting students to service and leadership opportunities in OSU’s more than 400 student organizations. 

As a result of the project, we are pleased the union will be designated a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building.  We are using environmentally responsible materials, sustainable architecture techniques and taking other energy efficient steps to promote a green building.

This major update to one of our most prized buildings will cause some disruption, but the work means the OSU Student Union will continue its legacy of service and community for generations to come.  In the end, this campus jewel will shine brighter than ever.

Dunham to cook at the James Beard House

Marc Dunham, the Chef de Cuisine at the Ranchers Club on the Oklahoma State University campus, will be demonstrating his culinary skills as a guest chef at the James Beard House in New York City this summer.

The James Beard Foundation hosts a variety of events with the intentions of educating, inspiring, entertaining and fostering appreciation for American cuisine. Dunham will be featured during a dinner event on July 15.

“We are honored and humbled to be representing the Ranchers Club, the Atherton Hotel, the School of HotelHotel reviews and Restaurant Administration, the College of Human Environmental Sciences and OSU,” Dunham said. “My team has been working diligently and passionately for the past two years to improve what we do here. This is a testament to them and their work.”

A scholarship dinner prior to the Beard event is being hosted by the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration at 6:00 p.m. on June 26. Funds from the dinner will support HRAD student scholarships. Tickets are $150 which includes food, wine, tax and gratuity. To make reservations please call the Ranchers Club at 450-744-2333.

“The event in New York is open to the public and OSU has tickets available,” said David Davis, clinical instructor and general manager of the Atherton Hotel and Ranchers Club. “We are pleased to offer the tickets to the Beard House event as scholarship contributions.” For more information about tickets for the July 15 dinner at Beard House, contact Jason Roberts at 405-744-7189.

Originally from Texas, Dunham began his position at the Ranchers Club in 2008. Since then, he said he has revamped the restaurant’s menu, staff and atmosphere to make the Ranchers Club feel more like home. Also on the chef’s list of achievements is the popular “Play With Your Food” cooking show he has been filming since last SeptemberSeptember reviews. The short episodes show viewers how to prepare simple, delicious meals using fresh ingredients.

“I feel very blessed to live and work with such a supportive family here at OSU,” Dunham said. “The opportunities that have been presented to me are extraordinary. I could not be more thankful.”

HRAD Director and Associate Professor Bill Ryan said the faculty, staff and students of the department are excited and honored at the invitation from the James Beard House.

“This opportunity is an excellent example of how HRAD fulfills the land grant mission of Oklahoma State University through innovative instruction, discovery of new ideas, and outreach to the world,” Ryan said.

Known as the “dean of American cookery,” James Beard welcomed students, authors, chefs, and other food and beverage professionals into his home, putting his kitchen at the heart of the 20th century food scene in AmericaAmerica reviews. After Beard’s death in 1985, a group of his friends purchased his townhouse from the estate and in 1986, the James Beard Foundation held the official opening of the James Beard House. According to a press release from that day, the group’s goal was “to provide a center for the culinary arts and to continue to foster the interest James Beard inspired in all aspects of food, its preparation presentation, and of course, enjoyment.”

Today, the James Beard Foundation hosts workshops, classes, conferences, readings, and other educational experiences that help people learn about and engage with food. The Foundation provides scholarships to culinary students in need, invites chefs from around the world to participate in events at the HouseHouse reviews and abroad, and administers the James Beard Foundation Awards to honor professionals in the food and beverage industry.

“Being able to be a part of such a revered industry institution as the James Beard House and appreciating his legacy is a treat for any chef and restaurant,” Davis said. “I am very proud of Chef Marc and the team of professionals he has assembled to lead the Ranchers Club. They embody everything that is right and good about our industry.”

For more information regarding the Beard event or ways to support and partner with the Ranchers Club please call David Davis at 405-744-0300.

The College of Human Environmental Sciences has announced plans to relocate the Rise School of Stillwater to facilities on the Oklahoma State University campus. The move will integrate the Rise Program into the Human Development and Family Science Department’ s Center for Early Childhood Teaching and Learning which also houses the Cleo L. Craig Foundation Child Development Laboratory (CDL). The unified program will be open to children from 12 months through 5 years of age in the fall of 2010.

Stephan Wilson, dean of the college, says the move will provide more appropriate classrooms for the students in the Rise Program and expand the services of the current center to be a unified, more inclusive environment. The classrooms also serve as teaching laboratories for OSU early childhood education as well as research facilities for a variety of programs across the campus.

“The current laboratory in the center has a rich heritage of over 85 years and is a nationally recognized center for early childhood teaching, research, and outreach,” Wilson said. “Incorporating the Rise program into this premier facility will enhance the educational experience for future early childhood educators. The experience they gain will benefit the children of Oklahoma and beyond.”

The current space will double from two classrooms to four world-class early childhood teaching laboratory classrooms. Each of the classrooms will be staffed with certified teachers and teaching assistants. Music, speech, occupational and physical therapies will be provided for those children who need these services. In addition, OSU students majoring in early childhood education will be in the classrooms each semester as part of their professional practicum.

“We see this as a win-win for the ECE program and the Rise School as well as our myriad campus and community partners,” Wilson said. “The original Rise facility limited enrollment to 18 students half of whom were children with special needs. The new classrooms will be state-of-the-art design, and the larger space will allow for a total of 66 children. This will increase our capacity for inclusion of children living with developmental disabilities to 33.”

“The move will expand our capacity to provide services to the community, enlarge experiences for emerging professionals, increase the numbers of students and their families available for research projects, and deliver the land-grant mission of OSU for teaching, research, and outreach” Wilson said.

Sue Williams, Human Development and Family Sciences Department head, said integrating the two laboratories will provide important hands-on internship and observation opportunities for college students majoring in early childhood education, which will better prepare them to teach in Oklahoma classrooms.

“Students who participate in the teacher-preparation program will learn to match children’s needs with appropriate instructional methods according to each child’s intellectual and physical development,” Williams said. “When these students become teachers in Oklahoma’s pre-schools and elementary schools, their experience with the Rise Program will have a multiplier effect and benefit hundreds of special needs children throughout the state. Further, the many ways in which children develop beyond their learning are more completely present in this new environment – physical, social, emotional, aesthetic, cultural.”

Wilson pointed out the new lab’s proximity to the other research and teaching interests of the college such as interior design, the Center for Family Services, and childhood obesity prevention will enhance experiential learning experiences for other CHES students. He said having the unified programs on campus is likely to make them attractive to other areas of study such as engineering, elementary education, speech pathology, and art that have limited opportunities to facilities and programs the unified labs will provide.

“With better access for the rest of the campus for research and discovery, as well as outreach and service, the lab will be much more than a place focused solely on early childhood learning,” Wilson said.

The CDL is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and meets the criteria for a Three-Star Facility rating from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

The enrollment process for the unified program begins with a completed application that will place the child on a waiting list. Current students began enrolling in MarchMarch reviews. Available spaces are then filled with children from the waiting list. Parents may begin the application process by contacting the CECTL at 405-744-5730 from 8:30-4:30 Monday thru FridayFriday reviews.

Oklahoma State University men’s basketball coach Travis Ford and his wife, Heather, announced Monday that the Oklahoma WONDERtorium would be their family’s local non-profit organization of choice. The Fords made the announcement at Westwood Elementary in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Children from two Westwood classrooms were invited to attend.

Heather Ford is one of fourteen members of the Oklahoma WONDERtorium’s board of directors. She has lent her support to museum activities as a volunteer and the Ford children have participated in museum camps and programs.

“As a new member of the museum’s board, I have been impressed by the efforts of all concerned to develop fun and educational events and learning experiences for children and families in Stillwater and beyond,” Heather Ford commented.

“We (Heather and I) believe there is a real need for the Oklahoma WONDERtorium," Travis Ford said. "We realize that it is already fulfilling an important need in the development of the children in this area through its outreach programs, but there is an even greater need in this community for a place every child can go to learn and play in a safe and educationally stimulating environment.”

Currently, the WONDERtorium is a “museum without walls” and developed the educational outreach program of the same name in 2006 to further its mission of inspiring curiosity to learn through play. Museum Without Walls programming offers four developmentally appropriate programs for children in Payne County elementary schools, preschools and childcare centers. Program subject matter ranges from simple activities involving brightly-colored objects, simple dance moves and music for infants and their caretakers to cutting-edge information on nanoscience principles and plant viruses for fifth graders (expanding to fourth graders in Spring 2010). With a building site at 10th & Duck streets in Stillwater, the WONDERtorium is actively raising funds to open a permanent facility in 2012.

“We are honored by the Ford’s involvement in our efforts to give children more learning opportunities,” said Oklahoma WONDERtorium Executive Director Ruth Cavins. “The Ford’s endorsement and public support of us is a critical step to continuing the work we are doing through our Museum Without Walls program and in our effort to build a children’s museum in the city of Stillwater.”

Troy Herthel of Los Olivos, Calif., was one of 75 students who received the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree (DVM) during convocation and hooding exercises at Oklahoma State University (OSU) College of Veterinary Medicine on SaturdaySaturday reviews, May 8, 2010.

Herthel is the son of Doug and Sue Herthel of Los Olivos. He graduated from Santa Ynez Valley High School in Santa Ynez, Calif., and earned a B.S. degree in Animal Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Recently at the veterinary center’s Annual Awards Banquet, Herthel received the highest honor an Oklahoma State veterinary senior can earn—the Dean Clarence H. McElroy Award.

Named after the first dean of OSU’s veterinary college, recipients are chosen by faculty and the fourth year class for their high academic achievements, leadership and outstanding clinical proficiency. On hand to present the award was the granddaughter of the late Dean McElroy, Ms. Patricia McElroy of Baton Rouge, La.

Herthel also received one of two $100 American College of Veterinary Surgeons Awards, one of three $1,000 Dr. Kip Doran Memorial Scholarships, and the $1,200 Lester and Lucille Johnson Scholarship for his interest in large animal veterinary medicine and surgery.

“We pride ourselves in graduating competent, confident, practice-ready veterinarians,” says Dr. Michael Lorenz, professor and dean of the college.

“Our graduates are highly sought after with most having multiple job offers upon graduation. While many chose private veterinary practice, some veterinarians pursue careers in academia, research, public health, or the military. We believe these young graduates will make OSU proud as they begin their careers in veterinary medicine.”

Following graduation, Herthel will start a year-long internship at Weatherford Equine Medical Center in Weatherford, Texas. He will be involved in lameness, surgery, medicine and equine reproduction primarily on cutting horse bred quarter horses. After that, he hopes to be admitted to an equine surgical residency program. Herthel’s ultimate goal is to become an equine surgeon and work with his father at the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos.

The sports website of The Arizona Republic in Phoenix has been named the Best of the Web in judging conducted by the sports media program at Oklahoma State University.

Newspaper sports web pages were judged on their “CANE” criteria: content, appearance, navigation and engagement.

“The Arizona Republic provides a website that demonstrates both quantity and quality of sports coverage,” said Wayne Wanta, the Welch-Bridgewater chair in sports journalism at OSU. “The wealth content doesn’t overpower the reader because the page is attractive and well organized.”

The Arizona Republic edged out The Dallas Morning News and The Miami Herald. Other top newspapers in the judging were The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The Oklahoman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Best of the Web award was created to recognize newspapers that are utilizing opportunities offered by the InternetInternet.

“Sports websites are among the most popular destinations on the Internet,” Wanta said. “We want to encourage newspapers to further develop website technologies by highlighting those newspapers that have been doing creative and interesting content.”

Judging was conducted by students in the sports media program. Groups of judges were responsible for evaluating newspapers in five regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, Midlands and West. Three rounds of judging eliminated all but 30 newspapers. From this group, judges selected the top five newspaper sports webpages, and included five others for special recognition. OSU faculty members gave final approval to the valuations.

The judging process took three months. “It was an exhaustive process and we wanted to ensure that all newspapers, both large and small, were fairly evaluated,” Wanta said.

Several newspapers with circulations under 125,000 also were recognized: Tulsa World, Sioux Falls (S.D.) The Argus Leader, Yakima (Wash.) Herald-RepublicRepublic reviews, Hendersonville (N.C.) Times News and Farmington (N.M.) The Daily Times.

OSU has the only program in the United States that offers a bachelor’s degree in sports media. OSU also is home to the Center for International Sports Media, a network of more than 20 universities from around the world that offer sports communication courses. The center provides opportunities for participants to share teaching materials and research ideas. The program falls under the OSU School of Journalism and Broadcasting, which is one of 24 departments in the College of Arts & Sciences at OSU. To learn more visit http://cas.okstate.edu.

Photos of CommencementCommencement reviews ceremonies can be downloaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ostatenews/sets/72157623894923045/

Nearly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees were awarded to Oklahoma State University students during five ceremonies today and FridayFriday reviews in Stillwater at Gallagher-Iba Arena.  In addition to the graduates, OSU alumni and longtime supporters Frank and Carol Morsani of Tampa, Florida, were awarded honorary doctorates.

The Honorary Doctor of Education degrees were presented to the couple with the support of the OSU Mathematics, Science and Occupational Education Faculty in the OSU College of Education. These are just the 17th and 18th honorary doctorates awarded in the university’s 120-year history.  

“OSU is proud to recognize these two individuals who have brought tremendous honor and distinction to their alma mater through their business success and their lifelong commitment to leadership, philanthropy, service to society and incredible support of this university,” OSU President Burns Hargis said.

Hargis delivered remarks during SaturdaySaturday reviews’s three undergraduate ceremonies. Hargis told the graduates, “Don’t let money trump your passion. If you wake up everyday pursuing your passion, you will be rich.”

Hargis concluded the ceremony by telling OSU’s newest alumni members, “Keep OSU in your hearts and a smile on your face.”

In addition to Hargis’ remarks, a 10-minute video was shown during the undergraduate ceremonies.  The video was a highlight of the graduating seniors’ time at OSU and featured three groups of graduates talking about their memories as students.

Three undergraduate ceremonies were held Saturday, followed by an evening hooding ceremony for the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Science. Master’s and doctoral degree ceremonies were held Friday evening in Gallagher-Iba Arena.  

The university estimates 60 percent of its graduates choose to stay in Oklahoma to work and live.  Just another example of how OSU and its graduates continue the land-grant mission of outreach by sharing their higher education with the communities throughout Oklahoma.

Today’s graduates join more than 200,000 OSU alumni, including world, national and state leaders; renowned business leaders, educators, health and wellness practitioners, entertainers, and sports figures.