Members of the State Legislature recently met with President Nathan L. Essex and other College officials during a luncheon on October 31, 2008. During the luncheon, the President briefed the delegation on the College's recent successes as well as its priorities for the coming year. Attending the meeting were Senators Beverly Robinson Marrero, Ophelia Ford, Mark Norris, and Reginald Tate as well as Representatives Karen Camper, Jeanne D. Richardson, G A Hardaway, and Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry.

President Essex began by updating the delegation on the ongoing campaign to erect a new Nursing, Natural Sciences and Biotechnology building – emphasizing the $2 million pledge by corporate giant FedEx, the largest gift in Southwest's history. He also informed them that, because of the College's success with raising private dollars, Southwest was able to move from number 16 to number two on the Tennessee Board of Regents' (TBR's) capital outlay request. This was accomplished due to a pilot match program that TBR had implemented to provide incentives to colleges to raise more private dollars. Under the match program, if a college raised at least 15 percent of the total project costs, their project could be advanced on TBR's capital outlay request from the state.

TBR Vice Chancellor David Gregory attended and, according to Sherman Greer, executive director of government relations at Southwest, "he informed the delegation that Southwest was the only college in the TBR system to achieve that match and he emphasized how significant that was for a community college." Capital outlay projects include all projects for which the primary objective is expansion of buildings by adding new construction, and renovations involving extensive changes in functional use.

Also discussed were Southwest's efforts to acquire the land to construct the nursing school. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) are currently conducting an environmental assessment of the area to determine an estimate of the possible cleanup costs. Other related issues on the table were the extensive number of students on the waiting list for entry into Southwest's nursing program and the shortage of workers in the fields of nursing and allied health sciences for the immediate area. The Nursing Institute of the Mid-South shows Shelby County with a current shortage of 720-plus nurses and more than 800 lab technicians.

President Essex took the opportunity to highlight Southwest's enrollment which is up 8.8 percent – 11,445 compared to 10,515 last year. He also discussed new buildings currently being constructed or sought that will aid in increasing enrollment and better serve the Mid-South: the Maxine A. Smith Center; the new library as well as the new academic building on the Macon Cove Campus; and the progress toward building a new Fayette County Site.

TBR Vice Chancellor Gregory discussed several issues including enrollment increases for community colleges statewide, the 6 percent tuition increase for 2008-09, budget reductions/reversions, Tennessee Lottery revenues, and possible revisions that would expand the lottery to include individuals over 25 years of age who have an income of $36,000 or less. This would apply to working adults who have been out of college for two or more years.

Also attending the meeting were Southwest Foundation Board Chair Cato Johnson; Memphis City Schools Associate General Counsel Van Turner; Southwest Provost/Executive Vice President Joanne Bassett and Southwest Vice President of Institutional Advancement Karen Nippert.

 

A collaboration by Natural Sciences Associate Professor Ken Carpenter and Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) Associate Professor Barbara Boswell has done much more than offer anatomy and physiology (A&P) students a brief look at laboratory procedures, as it was originally conceived.

Carpenter initiated the partnership four years ago so his A&P II students could have hands-on laboratory experience. "We are not equipped in our facilities to do clinical laboratory procedures," said Carpenter, “and I thought it would be a valuable addition to their experience." He discussed the possibilities with Boswell and Dr. Darius Wilson, chair of the allied health department, and they scheduled Carpenter's students for a session in the MLT lab.

Carpenter prepares his students for the session by explaining the procedure they will be doing – blood typing as performed in a blood bank. Then Boswell introduces them to the laboratory and its equipment and explains what they will be doing and the purposes of the procedure. She leads them step by step through the procedure and oversees each student so they actually perform it as they would in a blood bank laboratory setting. "During the session, I also have the opportunity," says Boswell, "to give the students information about the phlebotomy certificate and MLT degree programs."

"This has been an excellent partnership," according to Dr. Wilson. "The students get to visit the Allied Health building and do an actual blood typing procedure in the clinical laboratory. This has become an excellent recruiting tool: at least two students each year have applied and been admitted into the MLT program. I think very definitely this opportunity has helped them to make a better informed decision in choosing the MLT degree."

Currently, Carpenter brings one or two A&P II classes each semester for the lab experience and says, "I think it's very helpful to my students in making a degree choice, whether its MLT or another health sciences career direction. The more information they have, the better."

This initiative is another successful endeavor in natural sciences involving A&P studies, the other being the natural sciences peer tutoring lab for A&P students preparing to enter the nursing program.

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Some retirees celebrate with a farewell dinner, and maybe a gold watch. Professor of Music Steve Katz – "Doc," – pianist and professor in the Southwest Tennessee Community College Macon Cove music department and director of the Mak'n Music! Ensemble, is celebrating his retirement with a weekend of concerts – his treat – and inviting the whole town to come enjoy! It all comes down Saturday and Sunday, November 22 and 23 respectively. It's all a grand look-back at the joys of 35 years of teaching, 25 of them at Southwest.

It's Raining Music! is Saturday’s concert, at 7 p.m. in the Macon Cove Campus Farris Auditorium, themed on the hit song by the Weathergirls (somebody said emcee Jim Jaggers of WREG-TV Channel 3 suggested that theme!).

Feature selections include a '60s girl group medley of A Lover's Concerto, Leader of the Pack, My Guy, and Chapel of Love, arranged by Doc and Justin Jaggers; Opera Memphis soprano and Mak'n Music! Ensemble member Tanisha Ward singing Can't Help Lovin' that Man from the musical, Showboat and operatic favorite Come Back to Sorrento; and Led Zeppelin's Black Dog with Justin Jaggers, bassist extraordinaire, taking over to play what is the usual vocal line. Plus, a huge lineup of solo pianists and favorite ensemble rockers will be included.

Sunday's concert is at 2 p.m., also in the Farris Auditorium: Doc Looks Bach – and he's turned over direction to Justin Jaggers, assisted by Josh Haynes and Steve Haynes, with Jim Jaggers emceeing again, because Doc plans to perform a lot.

The ensemble will perform Doc's favorite songs from its years of performing, such as A Day in the Life (Beatles), White Rabbit (Grace Slick), and Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin). Doc comes on with three piano solos – Hungarian Rhapsody #2 (Liszt), Pathetique Sonata (Beethoven), and Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), followed by Doc and guest pianist Diana Kabakoff performing variations on The William Tell Overture (Rossini). Next, Doc and guest saxophonist Bob Schwarz will play a medley of Oh Mein Papa and My Yiddishe Momma, a tribute to Steve's late parents, Lena and Kolman Katz. The finale will see Doc accompanying special guest artists Dr. Ada Shotwell, September Song; Saralyn Weiss for At Last and The Man That Got Away; and Tanisha Ward's Summertime, along with favorite Mak'n Music! musicians.

As always, grand pianos are generously provided by Amro Music. Both concerts are free. As usual, any donations for the Steve Katz/Amro Scholarship Fund are most welcome, and everyone's invited to enjoy the music and bid Dr. Katz farewell.

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The International Education Department at Southwest has planned a week of activities for November 17-21 in conjunction with International Education Week (IEW). IEW is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of Education. Countries all over the world observe this important week. It is celebrated the week before Thanksgiving and allows people the unique opportunity to develop a broader understanding of world cultures and languages.

International education (IE) is seen as an important component of the Southwest educational experience, and as a means of empowering students and faculty to comprehend and appreciate the complexities and contradictions within their own culture and global issues. Below is the schedule of events planned by Southwest to celebrate and highlight the benefits of IE and exchange worldwide.

Date	Time	Location	Event
November 17	6:30 - 8 p.m.	Union Avenue Campus Theatre Auditorium	Southwest International Student Speakers
November 18	11 a.m. - 1 p.m.	Macon Cove Campus Farris Building first floor	International Bazaar
November 19	8 - 9:30 a.m.	Union Avenue Campus B-106	Learn How to Study Abroad with Southwest Tennessee
November 19	10 - 11:30 a.m.	Macon Cove Campus Farris Building first floor	Learn How to Study Abroad with Southwest Tennessee
November 20	2:30 – 4 p.m.	Macon Cove Campus Fulton Auditorium	Southwest International Faculty/Staff Panel Discussion
November 21	9 – 11 a.m.	Macon Cove Campus Farris Courtyard	Music of Many Lands Featuring DJ Nate Boogie
November 21	11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Union Avenue Campus Cafeteria Courtyard	Music of Many Lands Featuring DJ Nate Boogie

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Tunes at Noon, the Jazz Edition, will wake the echoes at the Southwest Theater at the Union Avenue Campus on November 19, announced Dr. Charles Pender, professor of fine arts.

"This is the semester's final 'Tunes,'" says Dr. Pender, "and we're featuring a great lineup of student musicians. In addition to favorite classical pieces, they'll be 'jazzing up' a selection of piano, vocal and ensemble selections you know well: performing works by Chick Corea, George Gershwin and John Lennon, among others. And, in a special segment, for the first time, we'll bring you originals by several of our student composers."

Some of the music media and seminar students will bring to the mike their own ventures into jazz, composed with the assistance of the department's recording facilities. "So prepare to hear some new 'hot licks,'" said Dr. Pender. Rounding out the concert will be everybody's favorite, the Southwest Jazz Band, reminiscing into familiar jazz sounds from New Orleans to St. Louis and all points between and adding their own riffs and flourishes to make it all pure Southwest!

Admission is free to the public, November 19 at noon, of course. Please come, enjoy, and applaud our students!

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Then the first ingredient may well be ... a good cookbook! Or maybe several, depending on how many cooks are on your list.

Delectable Morsels is the book, and its author is well known to many here at Southwest – Professor Emeritus Cleo Long, who started the College's dietetic technician program. The book is a collection of down-home recipes she enjoys cooking for her large family, and includes many of her own personal favorite recipes. There is also a special addition you won’t find in most cookbooks: every recipe has a nutrition analysis, done by dietetic technician students here at Southwest.

The cookbook is available from any dietetic faculty member or dietetic technician program student. Call (901) 333-5400 for information, or e-mail Megan Murphy, assistant professor for clinical nutrition, dietetic, and food service, mmurphy@southwest.tn.edu. One cookbook is $15: two or three are $12 each; and four or more are $10 each. All proceeds go to the Cleo Long Scholarship at Southwest, which helps students in the dietetic technician program fund their education.

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The Southwest Men's Basketball Team improved to 3-1 with conference wins over Motlow State 98-80 on November 14 and Chattanooga State 88-77 on November 15.

DeAngelo Riley and Reginald Owens scored 17 points each to lead the Saluqis in the Motlow State game. Riley also led the team with 23 points against Chattanooga State while, Jeremy Williams added 19 points and game-highs of 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots.

The Southwest Women's Basketball Team dropped to 2-2 on the season after losing to Motlow State 70-67 and Chattanooga State 68-53.

Kiana James led the Lady Saluqis with 21 points, seven rebounds, and five steals, and Keturah Martin added 18 points against Motlow State. Top scorers in the Chattanooga State game were James, with 11, and Jakena Jordan with 10.

Next up for Southwest are conference games this weekend at Walters State on November 21 and Roane State on November 22. Play-by-play for the games can be heard on the Southwest Web site at www.southwest.tn.edu.

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