Second Annual Academic Excellence Conference
KEENE, N.H. 3/25/02 Work by nearly 80 of Keene State Colleges top students will be showcased at the Colleges second annual Academic Excellence Conference, to be held Saturday, April 6, in the Student Center. Among projects to be presented at the conference will be a report about the nesting habits of diamondback terrapins, a land-use map of Keene created from satellite images, and an evaluation of New Hampshire public school funding proposals.
The conference is an opportunity for students to exchange intellectual ideas with their peers and faculty and to develop professionally, said Ann Rancourt, associate vice president for academic affairs at KSC. The conference serves as a place for students to share their work with the College community, with parents, and with the community in general, said Rancourt. This conference exemplifies the quality of students we have at Keene State.
Proposals, which had to be endorsed by faculty members, were submitted to the conference committee in October. The committee chose the best abstracts from the submissions and these were entered into the conference.
To cater to the diverse range of presentation material, from a talk about the history of photojournalism in the U.S to a poster session on the costume design for one of Keene State Theatres productions, students were asked to choose from six different presentation formats. These included workshops, performances, poster sessions, oral presentations, and panel and roundtable discussions. The presentations will take about 30 minutes.
The conference will begin at 9 a.m. with a welcome by KSC President Stanley J. Yarosewick and an address by Dr. William Doreski, professor of English and recipient of the 2002 KSC Award for Faculty Distinction in Research and Scholarship. The presentations will begin at 9:40 a.m. Dr. Stephen Reno, chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, will deliver a keynote address during the presenters luncheon.
Were holding the conference on a Saturday so parents and community members can attend, said Rancourt. People seldom have a chance to see the academic side of life at college. This conference will be a good exhibition of the quality of students we have at Keene State.
The conference is co-sponsored by the KSC Honors and Enrichment Program and the Student Center Office of Programs and Leadership Development. The partnership, said Rancourt, reflects a new, shared commitment to academic excellence between the offices of academic and student affairs at the College.
For more information, contact Ann Rancourt, associate vice president for academic affairs, at 603-358-2118.
