To:
From:
Date:
RE:
Graceland University Board of Trustees
Gary Heisserer, Dean
May 18, 2013
Report on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
________________________________________________________________________
CLAS (Interdisciplinary)
 A group, including representative faculty, deans, and enrollment/persistence personnel are planning
faculty professional development activities as part of the spring faculty conference. This effort is
being led by Diane Bartholomew, Brian Smith, and Julia Franklin from CLAS.
 Katie Bash, Diane Bartholomew, and Gary Heisserer attended the annual conference of the Higher
Learning Commission. Gary Heisserer and Katie Bash also attended the Peer Reviewer Training at
the conference.
Division of Visual and Performing Arts


















The Music Department hosted the Quartetto Sonoroso professional woodwind quintet in a
performance in Carol Hall on March 4th.
Frank Perez taught and hosted 4th Annual Trombone Day Workshop for High School Students. He
also conducted the trombone choir concert in the evening to close the workshop.
Frank Perez hosted the Pride of Iowa High School Honor Band festival and concert. The honor band
was the top students from 12 high schools in the conference. The day culminated in a concert
performance. The Graceland Jazz Band performed for the students, parents and directors before the
concert. Our Graceland Music Education students volunteered and coordinated all of the logistics and
provided support for the event.
The Graceland Symphonic Band and Jazz Band performed their "March Madness" concert featuring
marches from various styles, genres and time periods.
The search for the new drum line/percussionist is well underway. Phone interviews are concluded and
campus visits will occur shortly.
Frank Perez visited Clarke H.S. Band for recruiting
The Graceland Brass Choir performed for the Community of Christ World Conference Communion
Service and Prayer for Peace Service.
Frank Perez performed with the Des Moines Big Band at El Palacio Cultural Center in Des Moines.
He also conducted a band workshop in Eldon, IA for their high school band.
The music department hosted Dr. Haynes Percussion Recital in Carol Hall.
The Graceland Brass Choir and the Flute Choir performed for Graceland Scholar's Showcase.
The Jazz Band performed at the Green Jazz Festival and hosted Lamoni H.S. & Central Decatur H.S.
Jazz Bands.
The Art Department hosted 118 students for the HS Art Competition and day of art workshops.
Senior Shows are being put up every two weeks
The annual juried student art exhibit has been hung and awards from donors have been given.
Rob Stephens was a juror for an art show at Indian Hills Community College in Oskaloosa, IA.
Zane Vredenburg spoke to 3 classes of (54) art students at Marshalltown High School about art and
design at Graceland University.
Tracy Salter directed the first theatre department spring play—Fuddy Meers.
The Theatre Department hosted the playwright of “The Exit Interview” William “Bill” Missouri
Downs. Downs attended rehearsals and offered insight. This was a rare opportunity for students to
have the chance to work with the playwright and to have him comment on the relationship between
what they’re attempting to convey and what he was attempting to convey. The playwright also
attended the April 27 performance of the play and participated in a “talk back” session with the
audience. Graceland is the first non-professional theatre group granted permission to produce the
play.
Division of Health and Movement Science
 PE Department recently revised an assessment plan to better align with new standards and the SPA
report.
 The newly titled Corrective Exercise and Performance Enhancement (formerly Wellness Program
Management) is working on a series of "badges" to be earned by students as they progress through the
program.
 Athletic training is exploring the use of third party, interactive and adaptive online tools to be used
throughout the major to strengthen learning over time and retention of content and skill application.
 Several faculty attended one-day professional development activities during the spring semester.
 As a continuation of the Iowa Department of Education Learn-N-Serve grant, Dr. Diane Bartholomew
and Mr. Tommy Lewis have been working with the Central Decatur 21st Century grant afterschool
program.
 Faculty Emerita, Dr. Phyllis O’Daniels, has been named the NAIA's Faculty Athletic Rep of the Year.
Division of Humanities
 Jerry DeNuccio published the following essays Fictionique: "Mashup" (2/2/13), "The Quiet Man"
(2/25/13), "The Litterati" (3/23/13), "Stations" (3/29/13), and "The Possession of Faculties" (4/13/13)
 Isaac Pressnel attended the Association of Writers and Writing Programs annual conference in Boston
at the beginning of March.
 Bob Mesle has been invited to give a keynote address at the Sixth International Symposium on
Process Organization Studies, to be held on the Isles of Rhodes in Greece, June 19-21, on any subject
of his choice related to process philosophy. The person who invited Bob to speak, alerted him that his
book, Process Relational Philosophy: An Introduction to Alfred North Whitehead, is cited in the lead
essay for a special issue of The Academy of Management Journal, 2013, Vol. 56, No. 1, 1–13.
“Process Studies of Change in Organization and Management: Unveiling Temporality, Activity, and
Flow,”: ANN LANGLEY (HEC Montréal), CLIVE SMALLMAN (University of Western Sydney),
HARIDIMOS TSOUKAS (University of Cyprus and University of Warwick), ANDREW H. VAN
DE VEN (University of Minnesota), Academy of Management Journal, 2013, Vol. 56, No. 1, 1–13.,
http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.4001.
 Bob Mesle’s Process Relational Philosophy: An Introduction to Alfred North Whitehead, is cited 6
times in a paper on "Macro-micro Integrative Approach to Knowledge Creation and New Product
Development," by Hyejung Chang of Kyung Hee University In Seoul, Korea, and Hong Park, of the
Department of Economics at Saginaw Valley State University. The paper applies Whitehead's
philosophy to issues of knowledge creation in business, and uses Bob’s book to help interpret
Whitehead's thought. They will be presenting the paper at a management conference in Costa Rica in
March. They sent Bob a copy of the paper to ask if he thought their reading of Whitehead was sound.
(Feb 21, 2013).
 Brian White’s peer-reviewed article, "Assessing Rigor in Experiential Education," has been accepted
for publication in the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council.
 Brian White attended the Upper-Midwest Honors Conference, the regional conference for the National
Collegiate Honors Council, in Duluth, MN, April 18-20, 2013. Brian was re-elected as the Regional

organization's Secretary/Treasurer. Some duties include: managing the business meetings, conducting
regional communications, and managing the organization's finances.
Brian White was re-elected to serve on Graceland's Faculty Compensation Committee for AY 201314.
Division of Science and Mathematics
 Sophia Ringsdorf will be graduating this spring with a degree in biology. During her stay at
Graceland she has been playing varsity softball and a member of the SIFE team. She was recently
accepted into the University of Iowa’s Dental School. She will begin classes there this fall.
 Weston Heintz will be graduating this spring with a degree in biology and chemistry. During his stay
at Graceland he has been actively involved in the community. One of his greatest accomplishments in
this realm was to complete the emergency medical technician training enabling him to be a first
responder. This is something greatly needed in Lamoni. He will be attending veterinary school at
Florida this fall.
 Nathan Daugherty will be graduating this spring with degrees in biology and chemistry. He has been
accepted into pharmacy school at Michigan and will begin classes this fall.
 Nikki Conrad graduated this past year and will be starting Pharmacy School at Belmont this fall.
 Alex Martin is waiting to hear from the University of Iowa about his acceptance into their doctoral
program in chemistry.
 Emily Henson has interviewed at 5 different graduate schools for programs in genetics counseling.
She will hear from all of them this coming Monday as to where she has been accepted. We are
expecting to hear great things.
 The science and math division continues to do a great job of preparing students for the future.
Division of Social Sciences
 David Devonis and Wade Pickren co-authored “History of Psychology” which has appeared in Dana
S. Dunn, Editor-in-Chief, and Oxford Bibliographies Online: Psychology. New York: Oxford
University Press. http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/
 David Devonis’ and Deborah Rowe’s (adjunct instructor in Psychology, Graceland University and
ACES) paper “An Excursion in the Archaeology of Recent Apparatus: The Ball-and-Spiral Test” has
been accepted for presentation at Cheiron: International Society for the History of Behavioral and
Social Sciences 45th Annual Meeting, University of Dallas, Dallas TX, this coming June.
https://www.uakron.edu/cheiron/annual-meeting/2013-meeting.dot
 Leah Wheeler was accepted into the MA program in College Student Personnel Administration at
Central Missouri State University, where she also will serve as a Graduate Assistant Residence Hall
Director.
 The Regional National History Day Competition was held at Graceland on March 6. Approximately
70 secondary students from area schools came to Graceland to compete. John Franklin coordinated
the event, Steve Glazer and several history majors served as judges.
 John Franklin attended the Missouri Valley History Conference in Omaha on March 7 – 8. He was
one of the panelists on the Thursday morning theme panel entitles, "Sport and Leisure Parks in the
American Midwest," and presented the paper, "Swimming in the Ditch: North Texas Irrigation,
Tourism, and Leisure Activities, 1900-1936." John also chaired the creatively named Phi Alpha Theta
Graduate Session #2.




On March 27-30 at the Southwest Social Science Association Conference in New Orleans John
Franklin served as a panelist on a session entitled, "Waging the Policies of Muscular Economics," and
presented the paper, "Attempting to Transform Hell Into Eden: Irrigation and Flood Control in North
Texas, 1900-1936."
On April 13, at the Phi Alpha Theta Midwest Regional Conference at Park University Senior History
major Geoff Lewis presented his paper, "The Lone Star Breakdown: The Political Instability of the
Republic of Texas." John Franklin chaired a session on violence and discrimination.
On April 17, Tom Morain and John Franklin took a group of history majors to the State Historical
Society building in Des Moines. The students met with the staff about job opportunities in public
history and receive a private tour of the vaults, which are generally closed to the public.
John Franklin and James Scarry of Waldorf initiated a discussion of creating an Iowa US Foreign
Relations Association. They have tentative plans for an organizational meeting later this month with
Curt Caldwell of Drake and Charles Dobbs of Iowa State. They hope that this will 1) facilitate
bringing speakers to our respective campuses and 2) provide support and collaboration opportunities
for research.