The choir, in existence for more than 30 years, is comprised of Shawnee State University staff members, students, and the general public, according to Shirley Crothers, choir director.

            "We try to perform one concert per quarter," Crothers said. "I just love doing it. We try to produce excellence in music."

            Anyone interested in joining the choir for the first time is asked to report at least 15 minutes early for a brief interview with the director.

            For more information, call (740) 351-3212.

# # #

            The Shawnee State University Board of Trustees Executive Committee Meeting scheduled for Monday, September 13 has been cancelled.

            The next meeting will be a full Board meeting on Thursday, October 7 at 1:15 p.m. in the Selby Board Room in the Clark Memorial Library on the SSU campus.

            As Shawnee State University (SSU) prepares for the arrival of President George W. Bush to SSU Friday, university administrators have designated a section of campus for organized demonstrations, both for and against the President.

            Rita Rice Morris, president of SSU, said the United States and universities are built on the foundation that individuals are free to express themselves, share ideas, agree, and disagree.

            “This designation takes into consideration the need to secure sections of campus for the President’s visit, in addition to allotting space for individuals to express their views,” she said.

            The Bush campaign has leased much of the SSU campus for its Friday visit, according to Morris. The University’s designated space is located on the triangular section of the SSU campus just across Third Street behind SSU’s facilities building, she said.

             For more information, call (740) 351-3283.

# # #

            Thanks to funding acquired from the Verizon Corporation, adults who are considering entering the field of education now have the opportunity to experience working with children before committing to a program or career.

            The Shawnee State University (SSU) Children’s Learning Center (CLC) and BASICS (Basic Adult Skills in a College Setting) have joined forces to provide a new program called Mentoring Adults and Preschoolers (M.A.P.), which teams potential educators with preschool students to provide skills training for adults and foster reading skills in children.

            The program is free of charge. For more information, contact Cindy Ferguson at 351-3188 or Marcia Tolliver at 351-3325.

            In an effort to foster political conversation and increase civic awareness, libraries across the nation—including the Clark Memorial Library at Shawnee State University (SSU)—are hosting public events during September as part of The September Project.

            Shawnee State University’s library will participate by hosting a program entitled “Who Owns the Flag” on Tuesday, September 14.

            A panel discussion will be the main event of the evening. Panelists include SSU President Rita Rice Morris, Professor Carl Hilgarth, and Student Government Association president Eric Marit. Professor Stylianos Hadjiyannis will serve as the moderator. The public is invited to join in this discussion about democracy, citizenship, and patriotism.

            The forum begins at 7 p.m. in the Flohr Lecture Hall in the Clark Memorial Library, but participants are encouraged to come early and speak to representatives from civic and political groups in Southern Ohio, said Connie Stoner, assistant director for public services at Clark Memorial Library and an organizer of the event. Political parties who have candidates on the November ballot, as well as local elected officials, have been invited to attend, according to Stoner, and the League of Women Voters will be on hand to register voters and share information about their organization.

            “I hope that people will show an interest in practicing their rights as citizens,” Stoner said.

            More information about The September Project, a local, national, and global effort to create a day of engagement, a day of conversation, a day of democracy can be found at www.theseptemberproject.org.

            The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Stoner at (740) 351-3462 or Ann Marie Short ashort@shawnee.edu.

          Probation, parole, and corrections officers. Social workers and guidance counselors. Mental health professionals. Nurses and other medical staff members. Psychiatrists and psychologists. Certified professionals who may want to enhance their career opportunities. Licensed professional counselors. These are just several of the many individuals who would benefit from an Addictions Studies Counseling Certificate program offered by Shawnee State University.

          SSU and the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) addiction studies program will begin delivering the Addictions Studies Counseling Certificate via videoconferencing in a distance-learning format on SSU’s campus in Portsmouth this Friday.

          Ginnie Moore, director of the Office of University Outreach Services at SSU, said the Addictions Studies Certificate is a 10-course (30 credit hours) program that is comprised of UC classes offered via interactive video-conferencing at SSU. The courses may also count as electives toward a degree through SSU, according Moore.

          “The Ohio Senate recently passed the Ohio Independent Licensure Bill for Chemical Dependency Counselors,” she said. “This means that graduates of the program are eligible to be licensed and not simply credentialed.”

          With a bachelor’s degree in Addictions Studies, a student has all of the academic and clock hour requirements for an LCDC II (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor II or III), said Moore.

          “Once you complete a master’s degree, a graduate can become an LICDC (Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor),” she said. “These individuals can diagnose, treat independently, and be eligible for third party reimbursement.”

          UC’s fall quarter begins September 22 and runs through December 12. The classes are “Alcoholism,” held on Fridays from 6:30 p.m. – 9:10 p.m., and “Administration of Addiction Programs,” held on Saturdays from 1:30 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.

          For more information about the program, contact the Office of University Outreach Services at (866) 672-8778 or (740) 351-3171.

            The committees of the Board will meet in the University Center at SSU as follows:

            Held each year in the fall and spring, the Bear Run/Walk, presented by SSU’s Division of Student Affairs, continually attracts in excess of 500 participants to attempt the course. Last fall’s event attracted a record 900 participants, and this fall’s Bear Run/Walk could be even more popular, as pre-event registrations have been very strong, according to Larry Mangus, Ed.D., vice president for student affairs at SSU and organizer of the event.  

            “The SSU Bear Run/Walk continues to grow in popularity due to its wide-ranging appeal,” Mangus said. “The event presents 140 medals to walkers and runners in an array of age categories, so that anyone can be a part of the event.  We also have a walker’s category for those individuals who do not run.  It is an enjoyable experience because participants are with a group of friends and family members.” 

             The 3.1 mile course, which begins on Shawnee State University's campus at the James A. Rhodes Athletic Center and travels down historic Front Street by Portsmouth’s popular floodwall murals, is relatively devoid of hills, making for fast times for serious runners.  

            The records for the current course are held by Eric Putnam of Chillicothe, who completed the 2003 Spring Bear Run in 15:18, and Megan Ball of Londonderry, who ran the course in 18:46 in the fall of 2003. With several cross-country teams including SSU’s competing in the event and other talented runners coming from across the Tri-State area, the record could easily fall during the event, Mangus said. 

            The Bear Run/Walk is free to all Golden Bears and alumni, in addition to all students (elementary, secondary, and SSU). SSU faculty and staff members (and their families) may also participate free of charge. A $10 fee is required of non-students or $12 for race-day registration. Registration begins at 4.30 p.m., with the race beginning at 6 p.m. Each participant will receive a Bear Run T-shirt. 

            For more information or to pre-register, call the SSU Division of Student Affairs at (740) 351-3280.

            In just a few short years, the Tri-State region has become a vibrant center of interactive technology, according to Ginnie Moore, director of the Office of University Outreach Services at SSU, and now it is time to get “all of the players to move to the next level.”

            “This is an unprecedented Tri-State effort to establish centers of excellence, interactive technology industry clusters, cutting-edge research, and unified support for a world-class game and simulation cluster in our region,” she said.

            Tom Stead, chair of the Department of Fine, Digital, and Performing Arts at SSU and co-organizer of the event, said the conference, sponsored by SSU and the Information Technology Alliance of Appalachian Ohio (ITAAO), will provide a collaborative environment not only designed to promote interactive digital technology in the region, but to also enable participants to work toward creating a new 21st century industry that will provide jobs throughout the area.

            “This is an industry that doesn’t pollute; it can be located any place with high-speed Internet connection, and there is a very high average salary,” Stead said. “There is a game company in Martins Ferry, W.Va., that was just started a few years ago, and they have 60 employees now. Their average salary is above $60,000 per year.”

            Stead said the goal should be to start a number of small game companies, like one that has already been started by Howard Dortch, CEO of HyperKat Software, a games development company currently located in the Portsmouth area (whose first release is set to come out within the next couple of weeks).

            “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “We hope to see this region become a real hotbed for developing this type of industry over the next 10-15 years.”

            Two factors that make this region a perfect location for this type of industry are the fact that there is not a lot of flat land needed by other types of industry, and real estate is relatively inexpensive, Stead said.

            “If you have 200 people working in this industry in a small region like ours, money is going into the economy that circulates eight times in the area in which it is generated,” he said. “That means putting $40-$50 million per year back in the local economy. This doesn’t run the region’s entire economy but it sure would help.”

            Game and simulation interactive technologies is an industry that has gone from $8 billion to $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion to a projected $15 billion per year just in this country in a four-year cycle, according to Stead. The goal of the Conference is to get everyone in the same place to discuss the opportunities of creating a self-sustaining industry in this region, he said.

            Shawnee State University is one of only a handful of colleges and universities in the United States that offers a degree in game and simulation development arts—a B.F.A.—and the university is very unique in that it is set to offer a companion bachelor of science degree program in simulation and gaming engineering technology in SSU’s Department of Industrial and Engineering Technologies. The faculty members in these degree programs cooperate with one another and the programs were developed together to complement each other, Stead said.

            “Programmers and artists must know how to work together in the industry so we start that cooperation while they are in college,” he said.

            Colleges and universities participating in the Conference, in addition to Shawnee State University, include Ohio University, Ohio State University, Washington State Community College, Hocking College, Jefferson Community College, the University of Kentucky, and West Virginia University. Adena Ventures is an event partner, and high-school students from Tech-Prep programs from throughout Ohio will be in attendance.

            “The colleges and universities that are partnering on this event are working together to ensure we are not duplicating our efforts,” Stead said. “Each is generating programs that are unique to that particular school. Together we can attract industry to our region.”

            Featured speakers include Dortch; Dave Cerra, CEO of San Diego-based Sojoun Development; Robin Chenoweth-McShaffry, founder and vice president of Mary-Margaret.com (a company that is well-versed in the needs and requirements of coders, artists, designers, and the companies wanting to hire them); Rita Rice Morris, president of SSU; Jennifer Simon, president of the Economic Development Council and CEO of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce; Bill Sams, executive director for the Ohio University Without Boundaries program and chair of the Board of Governors for the ITAAO; Eric Marcoullier, member of Cyberlore’s senior management team; Lynn Gellerman, president of Adena Ventures; and Bob McGoldrick, coordinator for technical certification programs at Austin Community College’s continuing education department. In addition to these speakers, breakout sessions will be available to attendees on a variety of topics.

            "This is a region-wide collaboration to develop a region of excellence in interactive digital technology—one of the country’s most rapidly-growing entertainment and educational products", said Bill Sams, chair of the Board of Governors for ITAAO.

             The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on the SSU campus in Portsmouth. Admission is free, but participants must register to attend. Lunch will be provided. For more information about the conference, call SSU’s Office of University Outreach Services at (866) 672-8778 or (740) 351-3274, or check out the conference web site at www.visualist.org/ssu2/.

# # #

            Calling all runners and walkers! One of Shawnee State University’s (SSU) most popular events--the 10th Annual SSU Fall Bear Run/Walk 5K Road Race—is set for Wednesday, Oct. 6.  

            Held each year in the fall and spring, the Bear Run/Walk, presented by SSU’s Division of Student Affairs, continually attracts in excess of 500 participants to attempt the course. Last fall’s event attracted a record 900 participants, and this fall’s Bear Run/Walk could be even more popular, as pre-event registrations have been very strong, according to Larry Mangus, Ed.D., vice president for student affairs at SSU and organizer of the event.  

            “The SSU Bear Run/Walk continues to grow in popularity due to its wide-ranging appeal,” Mangus said. “The event presents 140 medals to walkers and runners in an array of age categories, so that anyone can be a part of the event.  We also have a walker’s category for those individuals who do not run.  It is an enjoyable experience because participants are with a group of friends and family members.” 

             The 3.1 mile course, which begins on Shawnee State University's campus at the James A. Rhodes Athletic Center and travels down historic Front Street by Portsmouth’s popular floodwall murals, is relatively devoid of hills, making for fast times for serious runners.  

            The records for the current course are held by Eric Putnam of Chillicothe, who completed the 2003 Spring Bear Run in 15:18, and Megan Ball of Londonderry, who ran the course in 18:46 in the fall of 2003. With several cross-country teams including SSU’s competing in the event and other talented runners coming from across the Tri-State area, the record could easily fall during the event, Mangus said. 

            The Bear Run/Walk is free to all Golden Bears and alumni, in addition to all students (elementary, secondary, and SSU). SSU faculty and staff members (and their families) may also participate free of charge. A $10 fee is required of non-students or $12 for race-day registration. Registration begins at 4.30 p.m., with the race beginning at 6 p.m. Each participant will receive a Bear Run T-shirt. 

            For more information or to pre-register, call the SSU Division of Student Affairs at (740) 351-3280.

# # #

          Probation, parole, and corrections officers. Social workers and guidance counselors. Mental health professionals. Nurses and other medical staff members. Psychiatrists and psychologists. Certified professionals who may want to enhance their career opportunities. Licensed professional counselors. These are just several of the many individuals who would benefit from an Addictions Studies Counseling Certificate program offered by Shawnee State University.

          SSU and the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) addiction studies program will begin delivering the Addictions Studies Counseling Certificate via videoconferencing in a distance-learning format on SSU’s campus in Portsmouth this Friday.

          Ginnie Moore, director of the Office of University Outreach Services at SSU, said the Addictions Studies Certificate is a 10-course (30 credit hours) program that is comprised of UC classes offered via interactive video-conferencing at SSU. The courses may also count as electives toward a degree through SSU, according Moore.

          “The Ohio Senate recently passed the Ohio Independent Licensure Bill for Chemical Dependency Counselors,” she said. “This means that graduates of the program are eligible to be licensed and not simply credentialed.”

          With a bachelor’s degree in Addictions Studies, a student has all of the academic and clock hour requirements for an LCDC II (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor II or III), said Moore.

          “Once you complete a master’s degree, a graduate can become an LICDC (Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor),” she said. “These individuals can diagnose, treat independently, and be eligible for third party reimbursement.”

          UC’s fall quarter begins September 22 and runs through December 12. The classes are “Alcoholism,” held on Fridays from 6:30 p.m. – 9:10 p.m., and “Administration of Addiction Programs,” held on Saturdays from 1:30 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.

          For more information about the program, contact the Office of University Outreach Services at (866) 672-8778 or (740) 351-3171.

# # #

            Thanks to funding acquired from the Verizon Corporation, adults who are considering entering the field of education now have the opportunity to experience working with children before committing to a program or career.

            The Shawnee State University (SSU) Children’s Learning Center (CLC) and BASICS (Basic Adult Skills in a College Setting) have joined forces to provide a new program called Mentoring Adults and Preschoolers (M.A.P.), which teams potential educators with preschool students to provide skills training for adults and foster reading skills in children.

            The program is free of charge. For more information, contact Cindy Ferguson at 351-3188 or Marcia Tolliver at 351-3325.

# # #

            Approximately 600 researchers, academic leaders, interactive technology company representatives, game and simulation designers and programmers, investors, policy-makers, and students involved in new game and simulation design and programming will grace the Shawnee State University (SSU) campus Friday, Oct. 1 for the Shawnee Conference 2 for Game and Simulation Interactive Technologies: The Next Level.

            In just a few short years, the Tri-State region has become a vibrant center of interactive technology, according to Ginnie Moore, director of the Office of University Outreach Services at SSU, and now it is time to get “all of the players to move to the next level.”

            “This is an unprecedented Tri-State effort to establish centers of excellence, interactive technology industry clusters, cutting-edge research, and unified support for a world-class game and simulation cluster in our region,” she said.

            Tom Stead, chair of the Department of Fine, Digital, and Performing Arts at SSU and co-organizer of the event, said the conference, sponsored by SSU and the Information Technology Alliance of Appalachian Ohio (ITAAO), will provide a collaborative environment not only designed to promote interactive digital technology in the region, but to also enable participants to work toward creating a new 21st century industry that will provide jobs throughout the area.

            “This is an industry that doesn’t pollute; it can be located any place with high-speed Internet connection, and there is a very high average salary,” Stead said. “There is a game company in Martins Ferry, W.Va., that was just started a few years ago, and they have 60 employees now. Their average salary is above $60,000 per year.”

            Stead said the goal should be to start a number of small game companies, like one that has already been started by Howard Dortch, CEO of HyperKat Software, a games development company currently located in the Portsmouth area (whose first release is set to come out within the next couple of weeks).

            “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “We hope to see this region become a real hotbed for developing this type of industry over the next 10-15 years.”

            Two factors that make this region a perfect location for this type of industry are the fact that there is not a lot of flat land needed by other types of industry, and real estate is relatively inexpensive, Stead said.

            “If you have 200 people working in this industry in a small region like ours, money is going into the economy that circulates eight times in the area in which it is generated,” he said. “That means putting $40-$50 million per year back in the local economy. This doesn’t run the region’s entire economy but it sure would help.”

            Game and simulation interactive technologies is an industry that has gone from $8 billion to $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion to a projected $15 billion per year just in this country in a four-year cycle, according to Stead. The goal of the Conference is to get everyone in the same place to discuss the opportunities of creating a self-sustaining industry in this region, he said.

            Shawnee State University is one of only a handful of colleges and universities in the United States that offers a degree in game and simulation development arts—a B.F.A.—and the university is very unique in that it is set to offer a companion bachelor of science degree program in simulation and gaming engineering technology in SSU’s Department of Industrial and Engineering Technologies. The faculty members in these degree programs cooperate with one another and the programs were developed together to complement each other, Stead said.

            “Programmers and artists must know how to work together in the industry so we start that cooperation while they are in college,” he said.

            Colleges and universities participating in the Conference, in addition to Shawnee State University, include Ohio University, Ohio State University, Washington State Community College, Hocking College, Jefferson Community College, the University of Kentucky, and West Virginia University. Adena Ventures is an event partner, and high-school students from Tech-Prep programs from throughout Ohio will be in attendance.

            “The colleges and universities that are partnering on this event are working together to ensure we are not duplicating our efforts,” Stead said. “Each is generating programs that are unique to that particular school. Together we can attract industry to our region.”

            Featured speakers include Dortch; Dave Cerra, CEO of San Diego-based Sojoun Development; Robin Chenoweth-McShaffry, founder and vice president of Mary-Margaret.com (a company that is well-versed in the needs and requirements of coders, artists, designers, and the companies wanting to hire them); Rita Rice Morris, president of SSU; Jennifer Simon, president of the Economic Development Council and CEO of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce; Bill Sams, executive director for the Ohio University Without Boundaries program and chair of the Board of Governors for the ITAAO; Eric Marcoullier, member of Cyberlore’s senior management team; Lynn Gellerman, president of Adena Ventures; and Bob McGoldrick, coordinator for technical certification programs at Austin Community College’s continuing education department. In addition to these speakers, breakout sessions will be available to attendees on a variety of topics.

            "This is a region-wide collaboration to develop a region of excellence in interactive digital technology—one of the country’s most rapidly-growing entertainment and educational products", said Bill Sams, chair of the Board of Governors for ITAAO.

             The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on the SSU campus in Portsmouth. Admission is free, but participants must register to attend. Lunch will be provided. For more information about the conference, call SSU’s Office of University Outreach Services at (866) 672-8778 or (740) 351-3274, or check out the conference web site at www.visualist.org/ssu2/.

# # #