MU celebrates Arts and Science Week

The annual Arts and Science Week will be celebrated Feb. 16-20.

By Angela Case

Published Feb. 16, 2009

The College of Arts and Science is hosting a variety of educational and cultural events as part of the annual Arts and Science Week.

The purpose of the weeklong celebration is to draw attention to the school, College of Arts and Science Dean Michael O'Brien said.

The week has been celebrated for about 25 years, and the events that take place have changed little from year to year, O'Brien said.

"We have a format that works, and we stick to it," he said.

Festivities began Monday night with a talent show in Jesse Wrench Auditorium.

Jazz musicians Bob Brookmeyer and Dan Morgenstern host a pair of free educational forums in Whitmore Recital Hall on Tuesday.

Also, a scholarship and awards reception will be held in Stotler Lounge at Memorial Union. Winners of scholarships from the College of Arts and Science will be announced, along with the winners of the Chalk Award, an award decided by student vote that recognizes outstanding staff members.

This year's award winners include faculty members Lori Eggert, William Horner and Philip Robbins, advisers John Adams and Helen Atkinson and teaching assistants Wendy Castenell, Mita Das, Tim Peterson and Mariana Morales Quinones. Administrative assistant Amanda Schlink said the reception is one of the most popular annual events.

The etiquette dinner will be held Wednesday at the Reynolds Alumni Center. The event is open to the public, but ticket sales ended last Tuesday, said Jessica Ekhoff, Arts and Science Student Council vice president.

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra will perform Wednesday at the Missouri Theatre Center. Ticket prices begin at $16 for students, but Arts and Science students, faculty and alumni receive a $5 discount.

Students are encouraged to wear their Arts and Science T-shirts on Thursday, which were available for free at Memorial Union last week and immediately before Monday's talent show.

"The T-shirts went really fast last week," Ekhoff said.

The college will be hosting the Undecided Fair on Friday in Stotler Lounge at Memorial Union for students who are still in the process of choosing a major or minor.

Ekhoff said the fair's purpose is to give students more information about the degrees available in the college.

Ekhoff said the fair will also be helpful for students who have already chosen their major.

"It will help students to pick a minor to compliment their major, and it will give students information on little known minors," she said.

For example, students could minor in East Asian Studies, which includes Chinese.

Ekhoff said the selection of a minor need not be professionally driven, but students could pick minors that simply increase their personal knowledge of a field.

On Friday evening, the college will host an invitation-only banquet to honor the recipients of the Chalk and Distinguished Alumni awards.

O'Brien said the banquet is historically one of the most popular events of the week.