YSU University Theater presents the Mahoning Valley premiere of 'Little Women, The Musical,' opening this week in Ford Theater. For details, see News Brief below. Starring in the performance are Molly Makselan of Canfield, Joel Stigliano of Youngstown and Roxanne Hauldren of Weirton, W.V.

Calendar
Monday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m. Veteran’s ceremony at Veteran’s Plaza on the YSU campus. See News Brief below.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 11:30 a.m. YSU’s top faculty researchers are honored at the annual Research Recognition Luncheon in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 12:15 p.m. The James Umble Saxophone Studio Recital is featured at a Music at Noon concert in the Butler Institute of American Art. Free.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 8 p.m. Dana School of Music’s New Music Society will hold its Fall Pops Concert in Bliss Recital Hall on the YSU campus. See News Brief below.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13, 14, 15 and 16. YSU’s University presents the Mahoning Valley’s premiere of Little Women, The Musical in the Ford Theater on the YSU campus. See News Brief below. Also performed Nov. 21, 22 and 23.

Friday, Nov. 14. YSU hosts the “We are IT” a professional information technology conference. See News Brief below.

Saturday, Nov. 15, 7:05 p.m. The YSU men’s basketball team opens the 2008–09 season against Buffalo in Beeghly Center. The women’s squad opens on the road at Kent on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.

Fallen YSU vets recognized at ceremony on campus
The names of 64 Youngstown State University students, faculty and staff who died while on active military duty will be read as part of a Veteran’s Day ceremony 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at Veteran’s Plaza on the YSU campus.

The ceremony will also include a color guard, a 21–gun salute from the Marine Corps League and the playing of taps by students in the YSU Dana School of Music. In addition, plaques listing the names of YSU students, faculty and staff who died on active duty will be unveiled.

YSU alumni Major Gen. Robert Lynn, Major Gen. Donald Infante and Maj. Gen. Matthew Kambic also will attend the ceremony.

Veteran’s Plaza is located just outside the south, main entrance to Beeghly Center.

YSU signs on to Voluntary System of Accountability
Youngstown State University and Ohio’s 12 other public universities are now part of the Voluntary System of Accountability, a national program that allows the public to compare data from more than 300 colleges and universities nationwide.

“For YSU, participation in the VSA means that we will more effectively be able to assess what we do compared to others universities in the state and the nation,” said Tom Maraffa, special assistant to YSU President David C. Sweet.

Enrollment in VSA is called for in the University System of Ohio’s 10–year Strategic Plan for Higher Education, released earlier this year by Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents.

“It’s a win for prospective students, families, legislators, policymakers, college faculty and staff who — for the first time —will be able to review data on price, financial aid, degree programs, retention and graduation rates, campus safety, student satisfaction and student learning outcomes in a standardized format that enables valid comparisons to be made between schools across Ohio and the nation,” said Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents.

VSA, formed more than two years ago as a collaborative effort among the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Association of State Universities and Land–Grant Colleges, is designed to improve public understanding of how colleges and universities operate.

Under the program, VSA develops a five–page College Portrait for each university or college, which outlines data ranging from enrollment, tuition and financial aid to student diversity, academic preparedness of incoming students and student housing.

YSU’s portrait and those of the more than 300 other colleges and universities in the program are available on VSA’s website at www.collegeportraits.org.

Also included in the College Portrait is a summary of student satisfaction, as reported through the National Survey of Student Engagement. Sharon Stringer, YSU director of assessment, said NSSE is a “well–validated, well–regarded” survey given to both first–year and graduating students to measure their general satisfaction with the institution. Stringer said YSU administered the survey in 2004, 2006 and 2007 and plans to do so again in spring 2010 to a yet–to–be–determined number of students. She also noted that NSSE only provides indirect measures of student learning. The campus community and constituencies recognize that NSSE data will need to be combined with other valid measures of student learning to help improve educational programs and policies at YSU, she said.

The College Portrait also includes data on student outcomes, as measured by the Collegiate Learning Assessment. CLA is a test given to both first–year and graduating students to measure problem–solving and writing skills. Stringer said YSU has never administered the CLA. A minimum of 200 students will be given the test in fall 2009. Stringer said discussions are underway on how to best administer the CLA without causing undue disruption for students and faculty.

Heading up YSU’s participation in VSA is Maraffa, interim executive director of institutional research; Stringer; Julia Gergits, coordinator of general education; Bege Bowers, associate provost; and Steve Taraszewski, senior research analyst.

“This is an institutional effort,” Maraffa said. “It requires the attention and cooperation of everyone on campus.”

‘We are IT’ conference set for YSU this Friday
“We are IT,” a professional information technology conference designed for girls in junior and senior high school, will be held on the Youngstown State University campus on Friday, Nov. 14.

The purpose of the conference is to familiarize young women with various aspects of information technology, and other sciences in the hopes of encouraging them to continue their education and pursue a career in the discipline.

The conference includes workshops on engineering (Building a Digital Counter or Bridge Design and Construction); computer science and information systems (How to Program with Alice, Building Lego Robots, Working with Binary Numbers, Cryptography: Writing Secret Codes; or Flash Animation); and the YSU Ward Beecher Planetarium (Behind the Console at the Planetarium).

Keynote speaker is Rhonda Chicone, vice president of engineering and product development for Notify Technology Research and Development. Chicone holds a master’s degree from Kent State University, a bachelor’s degree in computer science from YSU, and is currently working on a doctorate degree. She was an adjunct computer science faculty member at YSU and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Quinnipiac University and South University.

The conference is an initiative of the Ohio IT Business Advisory Network produced with funds provided by the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act and through a grant from the Office of Career–Technical and Adult Education, Ohio Department of Education.

YSU sponsors of the conference are Cynthia Anderson, vice president for Student Affairs; the Office of Associate Degrees and Tech Prep Programs, the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems; and the Department of Engineering Technology. Other sponsors include Ohio Department of Education, Industrial Information Institute for Education, Youngstown city schools, Mahoning Career and Technical Center and Notify Technology.

For more information, visit www.cis.ysu.edu/~weareit/.

Little Women opens this week in Ford Theater
University Theater at Youngstown State University presents the Mahoning Valley’s premiere of Little Women, The Musical, Nov. 13 to 16 and 21 to 23 in the Ford Theater on the YSU campus.

Curtain time for Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances is 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee performances start at 3 p.m. An opening night dinner is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in Winslow’s Cafe at the Butler Institute of American Art. Reservations and payment are required prior to the event.

Based on Louisa May Alcott''s own family experiences and novel, Little Women follows the adventures of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March as they grow up in Civil War America. The show, which opened on Broadway in 2005 and enjoyed a national tour, featured Boardman native Maureen McGovern in the role of Marmee. Upon hearing that University Theater was producing the show, McGovern said, “Having played Marmee both on Broadway and in the first national tour, I found the show to be an incredibly moving experience for our cast and audience members alike. It’s a joyous, funny, heartwarming musical for the whole family. I applaud the YSU Theater Department for choosing Little Women, the Musical&and wish you all the best, great success and joy for your production.”

Cast members for the show are Roxanne Hauldren of Weirton, W.V., Joel Stigliano of Youngstown, Alyssa Connelly of Warren, Deanna Scott of Toronto, Ohio, Laura Young of Ambridge, Pa., Molly Makselenof Canfield, David Munnell, Girard, Aaron Franek of Hermitage, Pa., Juleah Buttermore of Columbus, Ben Reiter of Hubbard, Dana Chauvin of Boardman, Montaja Simmons of Pittsburgh, Joseph Croft of Factoryville, Pa., Patrick McGuire, Erie, Pa., Nicholas Greenfield of Grove City, Pa., Karina Hudson of Ellwood City, Pa., Jennifer Tomerlin, of Niles, and Camanin Hudson of Ellwood City, Pa.

Tickets may be reserved by calling the University Theater Box Office at 330–941–3105. Ticket prices are free for YSU students with ID; $10 for adults; $5 for senior citizens, YSU faculty and staff and high school and college students from other universities, Penguin Club members and YSU alumni. Parking is available in the Wick Avenue parking deck for a nominal fee and.

Pianists featured at New Music Fall Pops Concert

  Zahari Todorov Metchkov

Guest artists will be pianists Michelle Cann and Dana faculty member Zahari Todorov Metchkov.

Metchkov graduated from the Cleveland Institute in 2004 as valedictorian with a double degree in piano and organ, and is currently a doctoral candidate in piano performance. He has won several awards including the Henry Fusner Prize for Excellence of Achievement, Dr. and Mrs. K.L. Wu Memorial Award in Piano, and a Cleveland AGO Educational Scholarship. He has spent the last eight summers at Pianofest in the Hamptons playing chamber music and attending master classes, and is currently organist at Epworth–Euclid United Methodist Church in Cleveland. Metchkov joined the Dana piano faculty this fall.

Cann is currently an undergraduate senior at the Cleveland Institute. She has placed in numerous competitions and has performed with the Florida Orchestra, Tampa Bay Symphony, Central Florida Symphony and the Cleveland Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra as winner of the Institute’s Concerto Competition. Cann has been active as soloist in the Piano Fest in the Hamptons and was awarded the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award for 2008–09.

Cann and Metchkov will be performing Francis Poulenc’s Piano Concerto.

In addition, the Composers Ensemble directed by Robert Rollin will premiere six new works at the concert.

The concert is free and open to the public. Parking is available for $5 in the Wick Avenue parking deck. For more information, call 330–941–3636.

YSU observes Global Entrepreneurship Week
Youngstown State University will observe Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 18, 19 and 20 with a series of events designed to encourage students, faculty and the regional business community to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.

YSU is joining organizations from more than 75 countries in hosting activities to inspire, celebrate, and stimulate entrepreneurship. Here’s the schedule of events:

• Nov. 18, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. –“Is Entrepreneurship for You?” a panel discussion on entrepreneurship, in the Gallery Room at Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. Panel members include: Attorney Patrick Gaughan, entrepreneur, instructor, and YSU Business Community Liaison; Dave Nestic, Entrepreneur in Residence, Advanced–Energy / Nortech; Julie Michael Smith, Chief Development Officer, Youngstown Business Incubator; and Patricia Veisz, Director of the Ohio Small Business Development Center at YSU. Sponsored by the Williamson College of Business Administration and The Monus Entrepreneurship Center, the event is free and open to the public.

• Nov. 18, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. — Dinner and panel discussion, entitled “Women Entrepreneurs: Increase Your Possibilities in Today’s World,” at the DeBartolo Stadium Club in Stambaugh Stadium. Williamson College of Business Administration, the Emerging Markets Initiative, the Partners for Workplace Diversity, and Youngstown Business & Professional Women are the sponsors. To register, call the WCBA dean’s office, 330–941–3064.

• Nov. 19, 4 to 6 p.m. – Reception at the Youngstown Business Incubator for Youngstown Business Incubator portfolio companies, board members and YSU faculty. WCBA and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are the sponsors.
  
• Nov. 20, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. –“GO Global”, an export preparedness seminar for small and medium–sized businesses, in Tod Hall on the YSU campus. Ohio Small Business Development Center at YSU and The Williamson Center for International Business are sponsors.ﾠ Seminar leaders will be Dr. AnneMarie Scarisbrick–Hauser, a principle partner at Hapraxis Solutions and vice president of Strategic Initiatives for Technology Concepts Inc. and Dr. William Hauser, a partner in BBA Associates, a Northeast Ohio consulting firm specializing in international business. The event is open to the public. A $45 registration fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch, parking and all course materials. Reservations are required. Call the SBDC at 330–941–2140 to register.
• Nov. 20, 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. — An Entrepreneurship Symposium, featuring Michael Broderick, founder and chief executive officer of Turning Technologies, Youngstown, will be held at McKay Auditorium in the Beeghly Education Building at YSU. Broderick received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2006 for the Northeast Ohio region. Turning Technologies is located in the Taft Technology Center in downtown Youngstown. Sponsored by The Monus Entrepreneurship Center, the event is free and open to the public.

For more information about any of the Global Entrepreneurship Week events contact Donna Walsh, 330–941–3385 or dmwalsh@ysu.edu., or visit www.wcba.ysu.edu.