ATSU is named to the President's Honor Roll with distinction.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A.T. Still University (ATSU) has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognizes colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. On campuses across the country, thousands of students joined their faculty to develop innovative programs and projects to meet local needs using the skills gained in their classrooms.

“Congratulations to A.T. Still University and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face.”

ATSU was named to the Honor Roll based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

In 2009, nearly 60 percent of ATSU’s student body spent more than 13,000 volunteer hours serving the University’s local communities near its two campuses in Kirksville, Mo., and Mesa, Ariz.

Students and faculty at ATSU’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine organized and participated in outreach projects including the Court Appointed Special Advocacy program, which advocates for abused and neglected children in the justice system. The program has been so successful that it has recently moved into adjacent counties to serve even more at-risk youth.

At ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH), the Give Kids a Smile® project provided free dental care to local underserved children. At the one-day event, more than 200 children received care with the cost of the donated treatment totaling more than $100,000.

ASDOH students and faculty also participated in the Special Smiles project, during which they provided oral health screenings, referrals, and education for Special Olympic athletes; the American Indian Oral Health & Dental Career Outreach project where they educated American Indian high school students about oral health and careers in dentistry; and the Project Challenge Oral Health & Drug Prevention program where they worked with troubled teens to raise awareness about methamphetamines’ effect on oral health and other issues relating to teenage oral health.

At ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, students and faculty provided full physical exams to underserved Hispanic children and adults.

“I am proud of our students, faculty, and staff who always come together in a common cause and contribute generously and often to serve the needs of others,” said ATSU President Jack Magruder.

The University partners with numerous organizations that support student community service activities. These organizations include local elementary schools, state universities, hospitals, Women Infant Children centers, Head Start centers, Special Olympics, Arizona Coalition for Tomorrow, county health departments, community centers, community health centers, senior centers, and nursing homes.

College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to the Volunteering in America study released by the Corporation. Each year, the Corporation invests more than $150 million in fostering a culture of service on college campuses through grants awarded by its programs; the education awards that AmeriCorps members receive at the conclusion of their term of service to pay for college; and through support of training, research, recognition, and other initiatives to spur college service.

The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

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The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

The Still National Osteopathic Museum announced that their final grant for 2009 is a $6,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

NEH is an independent grant-making federal agency dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The funds will be used for shelving to house artifacts and museum records. NEH awarded $20 million to more than 300 projects in 2009. This is the first year that the grant was awarded to the museum.

Jason Haxton, director of the Still National Osteopathic Museum, is pleased with the first-time award. “The NEH looks for ways to preserve culture and history across the United States,” he said. “For us, it gives shelving to house about 10,000 artifacts, covering about 1,500 square feet of much needed space.”

In all, the museum received a total of eight grants in 2009, totaling more than $205,000. These funds cover numerous expenses from preservation to restoration and storage.

“We have a wonderful ATSU (A.T. Still University) grant department,” Haxton said. “Their work with the museum curator is the reason that we are so successful.”

In addition to the 2009 grants, the museum received more than $100,000 of donations. These funds are being used to expand the museum galleries and to archive, catalog, and house the always growing collection.

“We hope to have one-third of our collection archived online by the end of 2010,” Haxton said. “It will allow outsiders to use us as a real resource of Osteopathic history without having to make the trip.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, with extend hours on Thursday until 7 p.m., and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. To find out more, visit www.atsu.edu/museum.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov.

A.T. Still University (ATSU) President Jack Magruder is the new vice chair of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) board.

Dr. Magruder was appointed to the MOHELA board by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon in June, as the Private Higher Education Representative. He will serve a one-year term as vice chair, and his regular term on the board runs until October 2013.

“I did not believe that I had been here long enough to deserve the nomination by the committee,” Dr. Magruder said. “The rest of the board convinced me otherwise.”

Tom Reeves, the new MOHELA board chair, and president of Pulaski Bank in St. Louis, said that working alongside Magruder and the rest of the board is an honor.

“Dr. Magruder brings a wealth of higher education experience,” Reeves said. “He has a distinguished record of leadership in both public and private education, and I think his appointment will benefit MOHELA and the students that MOHELA deals with.”

“I am pleased to be a part of a board that helps students earn degrees,” Dr. Magruder said. “I am glad to do my part to help students be able to afford higher education.”

MOHELA is one of the largest student loan secondary markets in the country and assists thousands of students and families each year in the pursuit of their educational goals. The organization participates in the Federal Family Education Loan Program and services student loans for and purchases from lender partners. A self-supporting enterprise, the mission of MOHELA is to eliminate barriers for students so they can access higher education.

Jefferson City, MO – The Academy of Missouri Squires today welcomed four new members to its ranks. The Academy is a non-profit organization that honors Missourians for their accomplishments on the community, state or national levels and was founded by Gov. James T. Blair in 1960.

“I congratulate these newest members of the Academy of Missouri Squires for this recognition of their many achievements on behalf of their communities and their state,” Gov. Jay Nixon said. The Governor and First Lady Georganne Wheeler Nixon hosted a luncheon of the Squires at the Governor’s Mansion today to announce the newest members.

The new members of the Academy of Missouri Squires are:

Frankie Freeman, a pioneer of the civil rights movement in Missouri and a national leader in advancing civil rights. Her legal work was instrumental in obtaining a 1954 court ruling to desegregate St. Louis public housing, and in 1964 she became the first African-American woman to serve on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. In 2007, Ms. Freeman was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta. At age 92, Ms. Freeman is still an active attorney in St. Louis and has practiced law in state and federal courts for more than 60 years.

Peter Herschend, founder and co-owner of Herschend Family Entertainment Corp. His family has owned and operated Silver Dollar City in Branson for almost 50 years, and Mr. Herschend has been a leader in Missouri’s travel and tourism industry. Herschend Family Entertainment has won several national awards for excellence in entertainment and tourism, as well as for distinction in environmental protection, at Silver Dollar City, at Dollywood, and at other Herschend Family Entertainment properties. Mr. Herschend has been a member of the Missouri State Board of Education since 1991 and currently serves as the board’s vice president.

Dr. Jack Magruder, president of A.T. Still University in Kirksville and a leader in higher education in Missouri for many years. A graduate of Truman State University, he served as president of the school for nine years, greatly increasing the school’s national profile for academic excellence. He previously served as the university’s vice president for academic affairs. The Kirksville Chamber of Commerce honored Dr. Magruder with its Hall of Fame award in 2003. Dr. Magruder is a past member of the Community Advisory Committee for the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Mike Shannon, the longtime beloved radio broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. A former player for the Cardinals, Mr. Shannon was a member of two teams (1964, 1967) that won the World Series Championship. In 1972, he joined the Cardinals’ radio broadcast team with Hall-of-Fame broadcaster, the late Jack Buck. Mike Shannon has kept Cardinal fans entertained and informed about their favorite team since 1972, and he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition to his broadcasting work, he owns and operates a popular restaurant in downtown St. Louis.

The Academy of Missouri Squires is limited to 100 living members, and new Squires are chosen by members of the Academy. To qualify for Academy of Missouri Squires membership, the by-laws state that one must have achieved true greatness in his or her community, the state of Missouri or the United States; and either legally reside in Missouri, be employed by the state, or be a native-born Missourian whose current residence, by necessity of business or other reasons, may be outside the state.

The ranks of the Squires automatically include the Governor and living former Governors of Missouri. Among the first class of Squires in 1960 were Harry Truman, Thomas Hart Benton and Stan Musial. The names of the Squires in the Class of 2009 will be added to plaques on display in the first floor rotunda of the state Capitol.

MESA, Ariz. – At a time when healthcare reform will most likely propose wellness incentives and taking personal responsibility for health, A.T. Still University (ATSU) has already been leading the way in both its curriculum for medical school students and its employee health program.

ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) is grounded in osteopathic medicine, which focuses on wellness, prevention, and the integration of mind, body, and spirit. Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O., is the father of osteopathic medicine and founder of the first college of osteopathic medicine, now A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM).

SOMA’s four-year curriculum includes clinical experience in patient settings beginning in the first year. As a reflection of osteopathic philosophy, the curriculum emphasizes preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care. Most medical schools do not enter clinical training until their third year, following two years of basic sciences and clinical text studies. SOMA students are unique in that they continue basic science and clinical curriculum studies while interacting with patients in community health centers (CHCs) throughout the United States.

“Our students work alongside CHC faculty and are able to diagnose, treat, and educate patients on disease and disease prevention,” said Douglas Wood, D.O., Ph.D., dean of SOMA. “We believe that we are the right medical school at the right time. Healthcare reform is now focusing on prevention and individuals at risk for chronic diseases, but prevention and wellness always have been our focus, and we are preparing tomorrow’s healthcare providers to advocate personal health responsibility and prevention. We are also serving a population of individuals who may be medically uninsured or underinsured.”

In addition, CHCs offer students the opportunity to learn about and participate in disease collaboratives. The National Center for Disease Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion put together collaboratives for treating chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma. The collaboratives—so named because CHCs nationwide participate in the protocols—are proving to be cost-effective and show a reduction in the frequency of hospital visits for patients with these chronic diseases. The collaboratives also allow outreach to populations who may be disproportionately affected by these diseases.

ATSU focuses on wellness and prevention among their employees as well. ATSU offers employees a chance to take personal responsibility for their health while also receiving a discount on their health insurance premium through the Still Healthy program. Still Healthy not only comprises a reduction in monthly premiums, but employees are also eligible for an annual reimbursement for participating in the program. All employees agree to attend four educational health programs per year, complete an online health assessment, and be a non-smoker or participate in a smoking cessation program. Additionally, all participants agree to a wellness exam paid 100 percent by ATSU.

“We understand that healthcare reform will probably advocate personal responsibility for being healthy, and we are already implementing wellness incentives for our employees to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors,” said Tonya Watson, assistant director, human resources at ATSU in Arizona.

The recent addition of the East Valley Family YMCA on ATSU’s Arizona campus provides students, staff, and faculty with an added opportunity to focus on disease prevention and wellness. The YMCA opened October 24 and will partner with ATSU on programs that improve the health of ATSU employees and YMCA members.