Students donate hair to children
For two days last month, the floor of the University Center’s lounge was covered in hair donated by students for the production of wigs worn by cancer patients. Sophomore Megan Osborne organized the event because she said she was inspired by a friend whose grandmother had lost her hair through chemotherapy treatments. She said this was when she first heard of a non-profit organization called Locks of Love, which makes wigs from real hair for children who have lost their hair from illness or injury. It takes at least 100 inches of hair to make one wig.
The event took place on March 5 and 6, and had stylists from J.C. Penney Hair Salon donate their time and skills. In all, seven students parted with their long mane. Osborne said she was impressed with the success of the event.
“There were a lot more walk-ups than I expected,” Osborne said. “I was happy with the support this received.”
Library stays up two hours later
By popular demand, Steely Library will stay open two hours later Sunday through Thursday. Beginning March 18, its hours will now be 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, while Friday and Saturday hours will remain the same. This change came after years of requests by students to expand the hours, said Arne Almquist, associate provost for library services. He said it is still unclear whether funding will be available to continue the expanded hours into next fall, and he hopes students use the later hours to help justify the expense.
“The more the facility is used during those times, the easier it will be to get funding,” Almquist said.
The library hired one extra staff person and increased the budget by $2,000 to accommodate the change.
Books soon will be easier to find in Steely library
Steely library is reorganizing all 300,000 plus books in its collection to make them easier to find. Arne Almquist, associate provost for library services, said when the construction of the Faculty Development Center started, and books had to be moved, they realized many were out of sequence. Also, since the shelves stopped at one end of the building and picked up at the opposite end, this made it more confusing. This prompted a complete reordering of books, Almquist said. The shelves will now run horizontally across the room, making them shorter, and the letters in call numbers will be closer together, eliminating the large gaps in the current structure.
To reorganize the large volume of material, the library hired four extra people to assist. The project began in January and is expected to be completed over the summer.
Hunter named to new position
Gerald E. Hunter has been named vice president for Enrollment and Financial Planning at Northern Kentucky University.
Hunter has served as associate vice president for Financial Planning and Institutional Research at NKU since 1999. Prior to that, he was interim budget director and assistant vice president for administration.
In his new role, Hunter will oversee the offices of admissions, registrar, and student financial services.
“This appointment brings together under one vice president the responsibility for both enrollment and financial planing,” said NKU President James Votruba. “This will help insure that the University’s enrollment and financial needs are joined in the institutional planning process.
“NKU is most fortunate to have Gerald Hunter. He brings to his new assignment a comprehensive understanding of the enrollment process along with an administrative style that emphasizes collegiality and collaboration,” said Votruba.
“I am very pleased to increase my role in such a growing and well-respected University,” Hunter said. “The challenges that will face NKU during the next few years will by no means be easy, but will be exciting. And I am proud to be a part of that.”
Hunter is also a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and takes part in many other civic activities.
A native of Cleveland, Hunter began his career at Murray’ State University, where he earned his Masters of Business Administration, and worked as both a university budget analyst and as the university budget officer. He has an undergraduate degree in accounting from Knoxville College, and has’ experience working in the public sector as well. He has been at NKU since 1995.
NKU professor recognized in magazine story
Dr. Ramona Brockett of the political science department, is featured in the January 17 issue of Black Issues in Higher Education. The story featuring Dr. Brockett is titled, “Fighting Heard Black Criminologists Seek Proper Context to Explain Racism’s Influence on Black Crime” and was written by Paul Ruffins.