A Cape Girardeau businessman has been appointed to the university's board of regents by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.
Thomas M. Meyer was announced as the board's newest appointed member recently. Meyer, a Democrat, is a longtime Cape Girardeau businessman, owner of Thomas M. Meyer Realty and recent former president of the university's alumni association. Meyer will replace Al Spradling, whose term expired in January.
The seven-member board of regents appoints the university's president, employs faculty and staff and makes decisions on the university's budget and policies.
Members are allowed to continue to serve until they are reappointed or another nominee is appointed. Spradling reapplied for his seat in August 2010.
Meyer's appointment requires confirmation by the Senate in January.
In addition to Meyer, Nixon announced appointments to seven other boards and commissions recently. The appointees will be subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate, with the exception of the State Rehabilitation Advisory Council for the Blind.
The appointees, along with their boards and hometowns, are:
- Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners - Lori L. Glasscock of Jefferson City
- Board of Private Investigator and Private Fire Investigator Examiners -Timothy D. Cudd of St. Charles; Charles R. Giessing of Farmington
- Credit Union Commission - John C. Hanneke of St. Charles; Richard D. Orr of Warrensburg; Susan L. Venable of Kansas City
- Missouri Assistive Technology Advisory Council - Mervin E. Blunt of Columbia
- Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee - Marsha M. Campbell of Kansas City
- Missouri State Board of Accountancy - Ryan S. Cook of Clinton)
- State Rehabilitation Advisory Council for the Blind - Dr. Paul Ajuwon of Springfield; Donna K. Borgmeyer of Jefferson City; Brady Clevenger of Republic; Betty K. Farley of Jefferson City; Gene Fleeman of Dixon; Rita Galbraith of Webb City; Nia Ray of Jefferson City; John W. Thompson of St. Louis; Sheila Wright of Kansas City; Patricia L. Yokum of St. Louis
By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor
Four young Dexter men looking forward to graduating, also look back to last summer and an experience that helped shaped their lives.
Tyler Miller, Zane Olsen, Dylan Heflin, and Owen Flowers represented Dexter last summer at Missouri Boys State. The four young men were selected based on leadership, citizenship, academics and character during their junior year at DHS for the honor.
Boys State is a week of democracy, with the young men participating in their communities in activities, working together as good citizens, and becoming involved in Boy State government.
“It was a fun experience,” said Zane. Boys State programs have time and time again led young men to do great things. Zane is the son of John and Jo Olsen.
“You don’t know what it all about until you go, and you learn a lot,” said Flowers.
Flowers is the son of Kim and Tim Flowers and was elected Presiding Commission of Benton County.
Dylan was elected to the City Council in Meyer City while at Boys State. Elected leadership at Boy State offers opportunities for the young men. Leadership skills learned at Boys State strengthens lessons and offers a chance to meet a variety of new people.
“You meet a whole lot of people and you learn to look at things from a whole different perspective,” said Dylan. He is the son of Jay and Lizzie Heflin.
Tyler was elected as a State Representative from Blair City, an opportunity that helped provide leadership opportunities and broaden his Boy State experience. Tyler is the son of Travis and Tracy Miller.
“Boys State prepares you for your future,” he said.
Boys State staff member are volunteers from a variety of professions and leaders in the state, including education, legal professionals and civic leaders.
Missouri’s Boys State has been an important part of the lives of hundreds of young men in the ShowMe State. Juniors in high school who are interested in participating in Boys State should contact their high school counselor or visit the Missouri Boys State website. Missouri Boys State for 2012 is set for June 16-23 on the campus of University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
Photo Above: Dylan Heflin, Tyler Miller, Zane Olson and Owen Flowers - Dexter's 2011 representatives to Missouri Boys State. (SMT Photo by Annabeth Miller)
Two teenagers – the driver of the truck that crashed into the back of a tractor truck and a teen on a school bus involved into the pileup were killed; 38 other indivudals were injured in the crash in August 2010. It was a tragic day.
A father with a a growing family and a penchant for technology has developed a way to protect them in today’s increasing dangerous and increasingly technological world.
“My wife and I have five wonderful children. They are, of course, the most delightful, intelligent, and creative kids any parent has ever seen, obviously the top of their class and destined to be great at whatever they do,” said Adam Kotter, president and CEO of Kotter Group. “Not that we are biased in any way, but I do think our kids are pretty special, which presents me with a dilemma as a parent.”
Kotter said he wants his kids to use social media and to function in today’s world. But at the same time, as a father, he wanted to protect them from the dangers.
So, Kotter developed is a new app – Teen Check-In. Teen Check-In enables you to keep an eye on your child's activities. It's not a secret app, or a hidden app, but a very clear reminder that you, as a parent, care enough to know what's going on.
Teen Check-In is not a secret or hidden app – it is a very clear reminder that parents should care enough to know what’s going on. Teen Check-In enables a parents the keep an eye on a child’s activities.
Do you want to know –
- If your teen is texting while driving?
- If your teen is in a speeding vehicle?
- Which websites your teen surfs?
- If your teen texts during school hours?
- Where your teen is and has been?
Parents are encouraged to check out Teen Check-In at www.teencheckin.com
Photo Above: Adam Kotter and his family. (provided photo)
An SMT Report
After nearly two dozen meetings and an almost year-long national outreach, the University of Missouri Board of Curators today announced the appointment of Timothy M. Wolfe, 53, as the 23rd system president. The MU business school alumnus will assume responsibilities presently held by Interim President Stephen J. Owens, effective Feb. 15, 2012.
Board of Curators Chair Warren K. Erdman said Wolfe “matches the qualities” that university employees and citizens across the state said they wanted from the next president during seven statewide forums and dozens of curator visits conducted earlier this year.
“Tim Wolfe comes back to us as a successful graduate with a 30-year career in business,” Erdman said. “He comes back to us now with national and international experience, but with a heart that has always stayed in Missouri.”
Wolfe, formerly Novell’s president of the Americas and a 20-year IBM executive, went to Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, where he led the football team to a state championship as its quarterback. He is the son of two university professors—a father who taught communications and a mother who is a law professor.
“During the months of interviews and conversations, we have learned that our next president cares deeply about Missouri and about our university,” Erdman added. “He is highly motivated to protect its great traditions and reputation and see it to even higher levels….He listens and respects the opinions of others (and) values their knowledge. He respects the unique role of each of our campuses and understands the nature of our strong campus system….He has passion, vision, experience and humility. He can sell to others the vital importance of our university.”
Those familiar with Wolfe’s career in information technology, infrastructure software, consulting and sales acknowledge his ability to recruit, build and lead successful teams through creating innovative strategies and clear execution plans.
“He’s a good communicator,” Erdman added, noting that Wolfe’s career path has required cultivating important relationships with governors and legislators, chief executives and valued employees, customers and other important stakeholders.
Wolfe said he considers his appointment as system president “an honor and a privilege. Serving this great university and our state is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I commit my full attention and energy to this endeavor,” he added. “It is obvious to me, and it will be one of my goals to make it obvious to our fellow Missourians, that the University of Missouri System is the greatest asset in this state.”
Wolfe underscored his belief that if the university is to keep up this momentum, which he believes it will, the university will have to continue to find ways to creatively deliver high-quality education to more people at lower cost while finding new sources of revenue to invest in the university’s vital mission. He suggested that more extensive use of technology for e-learning delivery is essential.
During his remarks, Wolfe introduced his family, including his wife, Molly, twin son and daughter, Madison and Tyler, and his mother and father, Judith and Joe Wolfe. Joe Wolfe is a retired, tenured faculty member of MU’s College of Arts and Sciences, and his mother earned four degrees at MU, including her law degree. She is a law professor at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, MA.
The announcement was made at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. The new president, the system's 23rd, will travel to the other three campuses for visits today and Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is calling for a six-month delay in U.S. Postal Service facility closures to allow time to implement cost-saving reforms.
McCaskill has joined a request to Senate leaders to approve legislative language preventing the Postal Service from closing any post offices or area mail processing facilities for at least six months, allowing more time for Congress to “enact reforms necessary” to potentially save those facilities.
“While we may have very different views on how to financially improve the postal service, we all believe that democratically elected members of the Senate and the House have the responsibility to make significant changes to the postal service,” McCaskill and her colleagues wrote. “Unfortunately, we are concerned that the postal service may preempt Congress on this matter by closing or consolidating nearly 3,700 mostly rural post offices, over 250 mail processing facilities, and eliminating overnight delivery for first class mail before postal reform legislation is enacted. While some of these changes may be needed, we believe that it is very important to give Congress the opportunity to reform the postal service in a way that protects universal service while ensuring its financial viability for decades to come.”
McCaskill is a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Postal Service. Postal reforms supported by McCaskill, and approved by a Senate panel last month, would require the Postal Service to strengthen the public’s ability to appeal a closure and would prevent the Postal Service from closing rural post offices until it establishes clear criteria for determining whether a post office should be closed.
