Summer 2007 - Hannibal-LaGrange University

8 Faculty & Staff News
Faculty & Staff News
And the winner is...
For the second semester in a row, Hannibal-
LaGrange College administration, faculty, and staff
participated in a campus-wide weight loss competition.
With HLG President Dr. Woodrow Burt winning the
competition for the fall semester by losing over 40
pounds, participants knew the competition was going
to be tough. Fifty HLG employees participated in the
12-week competition, which began on January 19. The
goal was to provide a workplace wellness program for
HLG employees that was motivational, fun, and easily
adaptable to their busy lifestyles.
The 50 participants were divided into nine teams.
Each team had a captain and a creative name for their
team: Negative Numbers, Louis’s Losers, The BLT’s, Less
of Me, The Reducers, Weigh Down!, Losing Weight from
A-Z, Do or Die, and Team #8.
According to Beth Sowers, HLG public relations staff
writer and the coordinator of the program for the spring
semester, “Having a weight loss program has been
eye-opening for most of the participants. Grabbing a
doughnut from the break room or having that extra cup
of coffee due to fatigue has become a thing of the past.
Those that saw success in this program have reported
feeling more energetic than ever thanks to regular
exercise and healthy food choices,” continued Sowers.
“I’m so excited to see these healthy changes and how
they’ve impacted not only the participants but the entire
campus!”
Every Friday Sowers supervised the weigh-ins and
measurements and kept confidential records of the
results. The teammates supported each other and held
one another accountable for the weekly weigh-ins. At
the end of the competition, the participant with the
highest body weight loss in each category (men, women)
received a $100 Wal-Mart gift card. The winners for the
spring 2007 semester were Peggy Blaine, administrative
assistant to the president, losing 15.441% of her
body weight, and Kyle Brenneman, dean of student
development, losing 7.363% of his body weight. “I
couldn’t have done it without this program on campus,”
said Blaine. “The weighing in every week and knowing
others were also doing it along with you makes it easier
to stick to the program. It was a tremendous help in
starting me on the path to a healthier lifestyle.”
Over 500 pounds have been shed over the course of
the fall and spring semesters. Because of the success of
this program, plans are being made to continue with the
third round beginning next semester with hopefully even
more participants, weight loss, fun, and prizes.
Dr. Martha Bergen, professor of Christian education at
HLG, published an article entitled “Zechariah and Haggai:
Motivators and Builders,” printed in the summer 2007 issue
of Biblical Illustrator.
Dr. John Booth, professor of music and chair of the music
department at HLG, attended the Hymnal Planning
Summit at LifeWay headquarters in Nashville, TN, in
January 2007, to begin work creating the next edition of
The Baptist Hymnal. Booth helped with criteria for hymn
selection and criteria for worship song selection. Booth
was also on the hymnal committee for The Baptist Hymnal
in 1991. In addition, Booth will be leading a choir festival
at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on September
27, 2007.
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has named Kyle Brenneman,
dean of student development at HLG, to the Governor’s
Campus Security Task Force. The goals of the task force
are to promote a widespread partnership between school
administrators and the public safety community, as well
as examine the safety and security of higher education
institutions throughout the state.
The HLG Athletic Department announces the addition of
several assistant coach positions: Crystal Barz, assistant
women’s basketball and head women’s golf; Matthew
Brock, assistant men’s basketball; Michael Brookshire,
assistant men’s soccer; Darren Funk, assistant baseball;
and Michael Pontius, assistant softball.
Michael Chlebanowski, assistant professor of art at HLG,
presented a collection of paintings spanning from 1999-
2006 for exhibit at Morton College in Cicero, IL, from
January to February, 2007. Chlebanowski also painted
a mural for the St. Louis Marathon, which was then
auctioned off in March 2007.
Greg and Celeste Church, former HLG faculty, are now
serving at Howard Payne University where they are both
assistant professors of music in voice. Both Greg and
Celeste are finishing work on their DMA’s at Texas Tech.
The Churches have two girls, four and seven years old.
Connie Craig, academic affairs office manager, was
installed as president of the Missouri Federation of Music
Clubs during their spring convention in Cape Girardeau,
MO, in May 2007. The Missouri Federation of Music Clubs
is affiliated with the National Federation of Music Clubs.
Craig is a member of the Evening Etude Music Club of
Hannibal.
Tim Dickerson has accepted the position of assistant
director of maintenance and began his duties in May 2007.