Reflections : the official newsletter of Northeastern State University, 02/2012

              REFLECTIONS
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
FEBRUARY 2012
Miss NSU working to enhance Alzheimer’s awareness
President’s Leadership Class students attend Higher Education Day
With the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease
expected to approach epidemic proportions
this decade, more people are joining the
campaign to assist sufferers and find a cure.
Randee Howard,
Miss Northeastern
State University,
is among those
working to raise
awareness of
Alzheimer’s. She
also has personally
dealt with the
disease.
“My grandmother died of Alzheimer’s when
I was young and my father passed away from
it when I was 19,” she said. “Now an uncle
has it. It runs in families and there is a 50-50
chance of me getting Alzheimer’s and a 50-
50 chance for my sister.”
Howard has worked with the Alzheimer’s
Association the past three years, performing
in commercials, speaking at events and
organizing walks. During the Miss
Northeastern competition, Alzheimer’s was
her platform issue.
“I think being Miss Northeastern helps
me get the cause out there,” she said. “We
can mention it on flyers or in e-mails and I
believe the title helps draw some attention.”
A senior from Chandler, Howard’s choice
to major in speech/language pathology was
indirectly affected by Alzheimer’s.
“When my father was in the hospital, I saw
what speech and language pathologists do
and it became what I wanted to do,” she said.
“After I graduate in May, I want to pursue
my SLP master’s at NSU.”
Advocating the importance of higher
education, students and administrators from
Northeastern State University took part
with other state colleges and universities
in a day of discussions with Oklahoma
lawmakers.
The annual Higher Education Day was held
Feb. 21 at the capitol building in Oklahoma
City. Students of NSU’s President’s
Leadership Class and the Northeastern
Student Government Association from the
Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses
attended.
“Higher Education Day is that one day each
year when colleges and universities can
get together and speak about the impact
they make on the State of Oklahoma,”
said Kin Thompson, PLC adviser. “It is an
opportunity for NSU students to speak
directly to legislators.
“Hearing from administrators or professors,
the legislators may figure we have an
agenda. I applaud Dr. Turner for realizing
students like those with the PLC can talk
with members of the House and Senate
about why they chose NSU, how they are
handling issues and their finances. Instead
of hearing from us about what our students
need, lawmakers hear directly from the
students.”
President Steve Turner led NSU’s team of
students, faculty and administrators. PLC
students were included for their skills in
public settings.
Jerry Cook, interim executive director of
university relations, said Turner’s inclusion
of PLC students in Higher Education
Day was a further development of their
leadership skills and enhanced their
understanding of Oklahoma government.
Through international contacts established
by faculty, Northeastern State University
welcomed a special guest to campus on
Feb. 15.
The NSU College of Education hosts Dr.
Usitara “Gig” Juntawieng, an international
scholar from Rajamangala University of
Technology Lanna (RMUTL) at Chiang
Rai, Thailand, until March 14. She is visiting
classes to speak with students and will teach
a special topics course on Thai culture and
leadership on March 3.
Juntawieng’s visit is sponsored through
the NSU Department of Educational
Foundations and Leadership. She will
conduct research with Dr. Renee Cambiano
and Dr. Susan Frusher about the effect
of interactive strategies on motivation of
learning English as a second language.
“I met Renee and Susan when they both
visited Chiang Mai for workshops in 2008,”
Juntawieng said. We talked and I thought an
exchange would be a good opportunity to
come to the U.S. This is my first visit to
the U.S.”
Frusher returned to Thailand in 2009 for
the International Hands-On Learning
Conference at RMUTL at Chiang Rai. After
the conference she visited Juntawieng to
further discuss research opportunities and
exchanges.
At the request of Cambiano and Frusher,
NSU Provost Martin Tadlock issued a
formal invitation to Juntawieng to visit as a
guest scholar. RMUTL endorsed her visit,
which was assisted by the NSU Office of
International Programs.
In Thailand, Juntawieng is a university
lecturer and teaches English. She said her
initial impression of NSU and Tahlequah
are overwhelmingly favorable.
“It reminds me of my hometown,” she said.
“The landscape looks similar to the north
of Thailand. It’s a small city and not too
crowded. Just like in Thailand, people here
are friendly, helpful and take care of each
other. I feel comfortable here.
“I don’t feel lonely or homesick at all here.
I want to thank Susan and Renee and the
other faculty who have helped me settle in. I
have met a lot of nice, friendly people since
I’ve come to Tahlequah.”
Thai scholar visiting NSU