CALDWELL, ID — The College of Idaho Model UN Team earned a “Most Outstanding Delegation” award at the 2009 National Model United Nations Conference.

Only 14 of the 190 schools at the conference were awarded such distinction, the highest award given. The C of I was the only school from the Pacific Northwest recognized.

The international conference includes more than 3,000 delegates from liberal arts colleges and universities from around the world, including Germany, the U.K., China, Japan, Canada, Italy, Greece, France, Mexico, Switzerland, Egypt and Turkey.

ST. CHARLES, MO — Lindenwood University’s Social Work Program has achieved a key accreditation from the Council of Social Work Education as the culmination of a process that spanned more than four years.

The Social Work Program was launched in 1998 and became a candidate for CSWE accreditation in 2005. The council made four visits to Lindenwood from 2005 to 2008, and Lindenwood submitted a 510-page report about the program and how it fits within the university.

As a result of the accreditation, Lindenwood students will enjoy advanced standing in master of social work programs and will be able to enter two-year master’s programs anywhere from a semester to a full year ahead when they attend full time.

MARYVILLE, TN — Dave Ramsey, personal money management expert and host of the popular nationally syndicated radio and TV programs “The Dave Ramsey Show,” will give the commencement address to Maryville College’s class of 2009. He will also receive an honorary doctor of finance degree from the school.

Drawing from Jeremiah 29:11, Ramsey has titled his speech “Hope, Real Hope.”

“We’re delighted to have Dave Ramsey address our graduating seniors this year,” said Maryville College President Gerald Gibson. “Given the economic climate in our country, I feel sure his message will be a timely one.”

MARSHALL, MO — Missouri Valley College is adding two degrees to the curriculum. A bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design and a bachelor of arts degree in dance will be available in the fall of 2009.
A computer lab with a laser printer, scanner and digital cameras will be added for students in graphic design and mass communication majors. Graphic designers can find careers designing logos, creating Web sites and more.

Dance majors also have many possible career paths, including educators, performers, choreographers and scholars.

MONMOUTH, IL — Monmouth College will now have separate communication and theater departments.

The two disciplines had been under the umbrella of the communication and theater arts department. After taking common core courses, students focused on either a communication or theater track.

“This change advances the work of two areas that are vital for a vibrant liberal arts program,” said Jane Jakoubek, vice president for academic affairs. “Communication studies has advanced significantly as a discipline in recent decades, and the college can showcase this discipline better now. Theater deserves status equal to art and music, each of which are separate departments. The collaboration among the fine arts will be strengthened by the change.”

MONTREAT, NC — Montreat College’s Outdoor Education Department will launch a new major in outdoor ministry in the fall of 2009.

The degree will combine coursework in outdoor education, interdisciplinary studies, Bible and religion and Christian education. The program is intended for those interested in using outdoor programming in a ministry setting, whether at a Christian camp, conference center or a mission setting.

MEMPHIS, TN — Thanks to four students from the Rhodes Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts, a five-story mural is taking shape in downtown Memphis.

Chicago artist Jeff Zimmerman expects to complete the project by the end of April. Located on a building owned by Rhodes College trustee Wilton “Chick” Hill, the mural will be clearly visible from the Autozone Park baseball stadium.  

SPOKANE, WA — The Rev. Peter Storey, a champion of nonviolence who served as chaplain to Nelson Mandela while he was in prison, spoke at Whitworth University this month.

His speech was titled “The Role of the Church in Peacemaking and Reconciliation in South Africa.”

Storey is the former president of the Methodist Church of South Africa and the Methodist Bishop of the Johannesburg/Soweto area. In the 1960s, he served as chaplain to Mandela and other political prisoners held on Robben Island. He was also pastor of Cape Town’s District Six Methodist Church, which was located in a multi-racial area and was demolished by a pro-apartheid government bent on enforcing strict segregation.