Monday Memo October 15, 2018

Dean's Message

Dear Colleagues:

Thank you to the many participants who greeted the large crowd of potential new students and their families at Preview Day on Saturday. We have had several recruiting events this fall, all of which have been well attended. This signals recognition that external communities understand and appreciate the high quality curriculum we offer and the value a scholar-teaching faculty and research university bring to undergraduate education. Recruiting continues all year, of course, but special thanks to those who have given up Saturdays and evenings to help with the recent events. We will reap the benefits with a great freshman class next fall!

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kempf-Leonard, Ph.D.
Dean

Feature

1606 Rowan renovations nearing completion

Renovations on the new A&S building at 1606 Rowan St. in the historic Portland neighborhood are almost complete! The brick building, which originally housed a steamer trunk factory, will soon be home to the Hite Art Institute's Master of Fine Arts program, new Anthropology teaching labs, archaeological artifact collections, and the Urban Design Studio. We’ll be fully functioning beginning in January 2019, but hope to get set up this month. Read this weekend's Courier Journal feature on the building, which highlights the A&S commitment to expand community engagement in West Louisville as part of the Grow West Initiative, and WFPL’s article on Fine Arts and the local Open Studio event. 

Great Place to Learn

Biology student wins best poster at AABB Annual Meeting

Biology graduate student Brett Janis, his mentor Prof. Michael Menze (Biology), and several colleagues in Bioengineering were given the award for best poster at the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) annual meeting, which is the premier conference for transfusion and cell therapy.

Alum Lavel White working on third documentary

Louisville Housing Authority and Vision Russell have contracted UofL grad Lavel White (Communication) to film a documentary on the Beecher Terrace housing project, which is slated for redevelopment into mixed-income housing. The film will be similar to his previous doc, "More than Bricks and Mortar: The Sheppard Square Story," which focused on the razing of the Sheppard Square housing complex. More here.

A&S Yearlings Club forum continues with "Social Media, Fake News, and the Impact on Public Opinion"

Sunday, October 21, 4-6 PM, Yearlings Club
From “post-truth” politics to “alternative facts” associated with the 2016 presidential election, panelists will discuss deliberately published hoaxes and misleading information that spread through social media to increase the reach, as well as strategies that agencies can take to address this problem.

Great Place to Work

Register now for Holiday Cards Buy Local Shopping Tour

The University of Louisville and Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA) will take shoppers on a whirlwind tour of local shops and restaurants November 30 as part of the 6th annual Holiday Cards Buy Local Shopping Tour. The tour is open to the public, but bus seating is limited and registration is required.

Comparative Humanities get spooky with LFPL 

Saturday, October 20, 6-10 PM, LFPL Main Library
Prof. Ann Hall (Chair, Comparative Humanities) will discuss “Women in Horror Films" at the Louisville Free Public Library's "The Library After Dark: An Adults-Only Halloween." The free event promises a night of ghost stories, monster photo-ops, Face Your Phobias virtual reality, a costume contest, and more. There are plenty of additional LFPL Halloween events for the kiddos, but this one is 18+.

Great Place to Invest

Let's #RaiseSomeL!

Beginning at 6:02 PM on Oct. 23, for 1,798 minutes, Cardinals everywhere will come together to celebrate who we are and Raise Some L. Check out the new video and sign up now to become an L Raiser Ambassador. Ambassadors will receive a custom link to share so you can track your impact in total dollars and donors raised for your department, institute, and college. A&S needs your help to make this the most successful campaign yet, so sign up today. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work building our future – together. Let’s #RaiseSomeL!

Diversity & Inclusion

Register now for 6th Annual Research Meets Activism Breakfast

Registration is now open for this year's Research Meets Activism Breakfast, "Solidarity and Global Liberation," which takes place November 2 at 9 AM at the Louisville Urban League. A companion event to the Anne Braden Memorial Lecture, the breakfast features a panel of local scholars and activists with closing comments by lecturer Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. Register here.

Register for 2nd Annual Social Justice Research Symposium

The Cooperative Consortium for Transdisciplinary Social Justice Research’s 2nd annual Social Justice Research Symposium will be held November 2, 2018. "Crossing Borders: Translating Research Into Practice" will feature concurrent sessions on bridging scholarship and community, as well as lunch and a poster session. Keynote speaker Alvaro Huerta will present “(Im)migration in Context: History, Resistance, and Hope” at 4 PM, followed by a reception. Register now for a full day of collaboration, community, and scholarship. Full schedule here.

Items of Note

2019 Open Enrollment

Open enrollment for 2019 runs from October 24 through November 7, 2018. This is your only chance to add, drop, or change your benefit elections and dependents unless you have a qualifying event during the year. It is also required if you wish to fund a flexible spending account. The elections will go into effect January 1, 2019. For plan highlights and more info, visit the Human Resources open enrollment site.

Last day to withdraw from classes is Oct 19

Please remind students that the last day to withdraw from classes is this Friday, October 19 by 5 pm. To withdraw, choose the “drop/withdraw” option on Ulink under the Registration section.

Submit Spring 2019 book adoptions by Nov 15

Less than 5% of book adoptions for Spring 2019 have been submitted so far. These must be submitted by November 15 to have books available for the first day of class in January 2019. Please use one of the following methods to submit your course materials:

  1. Use the Follett Discover Tool through your Blackboard Portal. Enter through the link at the bottom of the page, and select the term. ***This is also the best way to indicate you do not need any books***
  2. Use the web form 
  3. Email your adoptions, include your Course heading, number, and section (COMM 111-03), the ISBN or Title/Author/Edition, and whether the book is Required or Recommended
  4. Set up a meeting with Sara in the Campus Store to speak about your adoptions in person
  5. Call 502.852.8307 and ask to speak to Sara to give your adoptions information over the phone

In the News

Teachers hoping to pass key electoral test (WDRB, 10/7/18) Prof. Dewey Clayton (Political Science) quoted.

How the Kavanaugh vote may send sexual assault victims 'back into the shadows' (Courier-Journal, 10/8/18) Prof. Brad Campbell (Criminal Justice) quoted. 

Reviving the neighborhood may be as easy as painting your home pink (Courier-Journal, 10/9/18) Prof. John Gilderbloom (Urban and Public Affairs) interviewed.

Grand Ole Opry gives rare salute to soul genius Ray Charles (Virginian-Pilot, 10/10/18) - Prof. Diane Pecknold (Women's and Gender Studies) quoted. 

The Republicans were Sith Lords long before President Donald Trump (Courier-Journal, 10/10/18) - Op-ed by Prof. Ricky Jones (Pan-African Studies)