Monday Memo November 12, 2018

Dean's Message

My message today is intended for all A&S faculty.

Faculty governance is important for an effective college, and when only some faculty exercise this responsibility as members of the College, important decisions are made based on a small number of voices and votes. I would love for that to change, because I know all faculty care about our academic life. We have an important proposal to vote on Friday which could prove an important step in solving two big problems we have in A&S.

The first problem is that our need for teaching capacity continues to increase as University enrollment increases. We’ve thus far been successful in avoiding increased teaching loads, but only through creative reallocation of diminished budgets and temporary financial assistance from the Provost. In the absence of a new budget model and more funding, we need a solution. The creation of tenure-track teaching-intensive faculty positions is a feasible recommendation that has advanced from multiple groups and discussions. 

The second problem is a long-standing “dean’s guideline” that perpetuates inequity by requiring some research-active faculty to teach 3:2 loads while some popular teachers with little research productivity teach far less. More rational workloads could solve the attendant morale difficulties. The pending proposal would achieve that goal while still meeting our teaching needs.

The proposal being considered on Friday would modify the College policy by removing the requirement that all tenure-track faculty members allocate 30% of their AWP to research endeavors. This modification would allow us to have and hire tenure-track teaching faculty. Personally, I support hiring teaching intensive faculty because it is working at many research universities that have records of student success. Additionally, there are tenure-track teaching faculty elsewhere at UofL, and they have shown to not diminish the research lines but rather have increased the productivity of the most active researchers. We have several departments in which tenure-track teaching faculty could help to advance the teaching of undergraduate majors while also ensuring the success of our new Cardinal Core.

Eventually, increased enrollment should result in bigger budgets, but until then I believe this is an excellent solution with little downside. It will also demonstrate the way in which we value teaching and will poise us to better recognize and reward it.

I hope attendance soars at the Assembly this Friday. All faculty are welcome.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kempf-Leonard, Ph.D.
Dean

Great Place to Learn

Faculty and Graduate Student Writing Group

Did you know that the University Writing Center organizes and facilitates a writing group for graduate students and faculty at UofL? The goal is to provide support, community, accountability, and feedback for scholars working on research writing. Faculty and graduate students can work on any project during the writing groups – seminar papers, journal articles, grant proposals, conference presentations, job letters, etc. Students and faculty from all disciplines and programs are welcome. If you are interested in participating, please follow this link and fill out a brief registration form.

Great Place to Work

Latin American and Latino Studies Club book and winter clothing drive for Doors to Hope

December 3, Stevenson Hall, Rooms 304-306
The Latin American and Latino Studies Club is hosting its annual book and winter clothing drive for Doors to Hope, a local organization that engages with and advocates for women and immigrant families. We will be collecting books targeted to grades 1-8 and young adults, as well as any gently used winter clothing items (e.g. winter coats, hats, gloves, etc). Items can be dropped off in Stevenson Hall, rooms 304-306, from Nov. 1 until Dec. 3.
Additional Information: Dr. Rhonda Buchanan; Maria Shields; website

YMCA access for UofL employees over holiday break

Dec. 17, 2018–Jan. 2, 2019, YMCAs of Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana
Free for faculty and staff - Enjoy the gift of fitness this holiday season! The YMCAs of Greater Louisville, including branches in Southern Indiana, invite all UofL employees to work out for FREE during the winter break. To take advantage of this opportunity, all you need is a current UofL employee I.D. Bring along your spouse, family member or out-of-town guest for a $5 per-person/day fee. Additional information: For information, hours and to locate a YMCA near you, visit ymcalouisville.org. For additional questions contact ghn@louisville.edu or 852-7755.

Great Place to Invest

NEA grant results in two more publications

A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to Prof. Suzanne Meeks (Psychological & Brain Sciences) and Prof. Russell Vandenbroucke (Theatre Arts; Peace, Justice, and Conflict Transformation) to study the Actors Theatre of Louisville audience has led to two more publications. Combining quantitative measures of the psychological benefits of engaging with theatre and qualitative observations by focus groups, the study confirms the hypothesis that regular attendance promotes flourishing and meaningful social interaction, psychological stimulation, and positive emotions. It also affirms that attending theatre contributes to a shared sense of community, even at a time when such community appears starkly diminished in the United States.

  • "How Theatre Encourages Well-being--and Can Engage a Wider Audience"" in the current issue of New Theatre Quarterly builds on the wish of focus groups that audiences better reflected the demographic diversity outside the auditorium. Disparities such as urban vs. rural, prosperous vs. not, more education vs. less, black vs. white –provokes ideas to foster a more democratic audience and pluralistic culture that endeavors to cross rather than ignore such divides. 
  • "Psychological Benefits of Attending the Theatre Associated with Positive Affect and Well-Being for Subscribers Over Age 60," now in press at Aging & Mental Health reports that sense of belonging, social engagement, and flow were associated with positive affect after performances and also predicted a change in well-being. Attending theatre is a combined social, cognitive, and affective experience that transcends entertainment.

Diversity & Inclusion

Sociologist W. Carson Byrd Scholar of the Week at NCID

Prof. W. Carson Byrd (Sociology) was featured as the Scholar of the Week by the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan. Prof. Byrd is a member of the Diversity Scholars Network (DSN). Founded in 2008, the Network is an interdisciplinary multi-institutional community of scholars committed to advancing understandings of historical and contemporary social issues related to identity, difference, culture, representation, power, oppression, and inequality — as they occur and affect individuals, groups, communities, and institutions.

Latin American and Latino Studies Club book and winter clothing drive for Doors to Hope

December 3, Stevenson Hall, Rooms 304-306
The Latin American and Latino Studies Club is hosting its annual book and winter clothing drive for Doors to Hope, a local organization that engages with and advocates for women and immigrant families. We will be collecting books targeted to grades 1-8 and young adults, as well as any gently used winter clothing items (e.g. winter coats, hats, gloves, etc). Items can be dropped off in Stevenson Hall, rooms 304-306, from Nov. 1 until Dec. 3.
Additional Information: Dr. Rhonda Buchanan; Maria Shields; website

Items of Note

Prof. Blum heads to Oxford

Prof. Mark E. Blum (History) has been invited to present a talk at All Souls College at Oxford University to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Announcement of the Federal Republic of Germany on November 9th. His area of scholarship is German and Austrian culture, especially Social Democracy. He will give a paper on the value of Group Dynamics Towards a Solidarity Society as sought then by German and Austrian Marxists.

In the News

Louisville poet contemplates Kroger shooting (Louisville Magazine, 11/9/18) - Prof. Kiki Petrosino writes a poem, "Psalm," in response to the hate crime that took place at the Jeffersonville Kroger. 

Prosper Louisville: Does Louisville want regression or progress? (Insider Louisville, 11/8/18) - Professors Daniel DeCaro and Kelly Kinehan (Urban & Public Affairs) weigh in on civic engagement in the urban planning process in the context of the Prosper Louisville initiative.

Like all of nature, climate change will affect Louisville’s fall foliage, too (WFPL.org, 11/8/18) - Prof. Emerita Margaret Carreiro (Biology) - 

Perspective from Pakistan sisters shed light on inspiring experiences (UofLNews.com, 11/7/18/) - Pakistani sisters Mehwish (Biology) and Maria Zaminkhan (Criminal Justice) detail their experiences in Pakistan in No Single Sparrow Makes a Summer.

In mayoral race, what matters more: Party or policies? (WFPL.org, 11/7/18) - Prof. Dewey Clayton (Political Science) comments on the mayoral race strategies and outcomes. 

After uproar, few Ky. teachers win seats in legislature (WDRB.com, 11/7/18) - Prof. Dewey Clayton (Political Sciences) comments on efficacy of teacher activism.

Yarmuth poised to assume position of power (WAVE3.com, 11/7/18) - Prof. Farrier (Political Science) comments on Yarmuth's new position and the role he can play as Chair of House Budget Committee. 

Writer’s Block Fest moves to Spalding, welcomes poet Maggie Smith (Insider Louisville, 11/7/18) - Poet Maggie Smith is coming to Louisville as part of the Axton Reading Series. (English). 

Student ambassadors work to get out the vote (UofL Today, 11/6/18) - Features political science undergraduate students Brittany Greenwell and Clara Wilson.

UofL researchers land grant to develop blood preservation tech with industry (UofLNews.com, 11/5/18) - Prof. Michael Menze (Biology)

Society for Neuroscience presents Science Education and Outreach Awards (EurekAlert.org, 11/5/18) - Features graduate student Teodora Stoica (Psychological & Brain Sciences) who recently won the Next Gen Award for her science education and outreach. 

Floyds Fork residents sue to stop Covington by the Park subdivision (Courier-Journal, 11/1/18) - References a study by the Urban Studies Institute.