Monday Memo April 4, 2016

Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

In response to a request from the interim provost for a “preliminary” report, we have been compiling a long list of many specific examples of achievement by Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and staff during this academic year. Department chairs, program heads, and center directors have contributed to a now 30-page document that isn’t even exhaustive of all of our work! The provost and president should be very impressed by the level, range, and impact of our individual accomplishments in scholarship, teaching, and service.

The report also provides overall statistics on grant and scholarly products, and degree and credit hour production. Notably, one-fourth of instruction benefits students with majors in the professional colleges so as we move to a new budget model we need to insist on resources to cover those growing teaching costs. The report is organized to show our achievements within the categories we noted last fall as our strategic goals and priorities, so it also conveys that our work aligns well with A&S and UofL objectives. When the final report is ready, I’ll make sure unit heads get a copy and we will post it on our website.

We also are beginning to compile various scenarios for a potential budget cut. This task is dreadful, and hopefully will not become reality. I’ve asked unit heads for their recommendations should we need 5, 10, or 15 percent cuts in their state funds, and everyone has had tremendous difficulty preparing a plan. Our goal is to minimize any impact on our instructional mission, so cuts would likely affect our operating budgets, enrichment opportunities, and administration. Hopefully, we would be able to backfill many cuts with other sources of revenue. We are also busy trying to determine new ways to generate revenue, including through what we do best — teach!

If you have ideas, please let your chair and me know. I will keep you posted as this process evolves. The president and provost are visiting the college Friday, April 15 at 101 Strickler to discuss the budget, I do hope you will plan to attend.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kempf-Leonard
Dean

Announcements

Volunteer for UofL Day of Service April 8
University staff, students and faculty can participate in a community day of service. Four sites within the Louisville community have been chosen for the 2nd Annual Day of Service, and 100 volunteers are needed. Transportation, food, t-shirts, and materials will be provided. Participants must sign up (subject to supervisor approval), and fill out the Community Service Leave Request Form. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis and will close when the capacity for the site has been reached. For more information, visit the UofL Day of Service website.

Missing Syllabi March 2016
Please post your syllabi to Blackboard if you have not already done so. For a list of missing syllabi, visit Missing Syllabi.

Teaching, Research, Service & Creative Activity

CJ students and faculty present at annual conference
Fifteen Criminal Justice Department students and faculty presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice annual conference in Denver.

Braden Institute digitizes public history exhibit
The Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research has completed the digitization of the public history exhibit Black Freedom, White Allies, Red Scare: Louisville, 1954. For more information, visit the new site, or visit the Anne Braden Institute.

Kudos & Congratulations

MFA candidate Miller’s work featured around the region
MFA candidate Douglas Miller (Fine Arts) recently had two drawings selected to be in Manifest Gallery's DRAWN exhibition and book publication, has been commissioned to make the artwork for the label of a limited-edition bottle of Alley Cat Gin from Copper & Kings distillery, and had a series of drawings published in the April Issue of Louisville Magazine.

Anthropology alumna receives NSF fellowship
B.A. graduate and Anthropology Merit Award winner Milena Carvalho (’15) was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her graduate studies at the University of New Mexico. The award is for three years and $44,000/year. Only 10 of the 2,000 awards went to archaeology.

Prof. Brooms receives community award
Prof. Derrick Brooms (Sociology) received a 2016 Community Spirit Award for his sustained commitment to improving the quality of life of community citizens and students, and his civic engagement and social responsibility, which extends beyond his expected service.

Items of Note

Research Poster printing
Did you know that the Geography and Geosciences Department can print your research posters? At $5 per square foot, a typical 5’x3’ poster would cost $75.  If you’d like to have a poster printed please go to Geography and submit your request. Please note that they need 48 hours prior notice to print your poster.

Acting Secretary of the Army helps celebrate ROTC’s 100th anniversary
Acting Secretary of the Army, Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy gave a video shout out for Army ROTC's 100th Anniversary from the University of Louisville Army ROTC physical training session. To view the video, visit the Army ROTC Facebook page.

Talk on publishing for faculty
Prof. Dwayne Buttler will give a talk on "Copyright and Publishing: What the agreement you didn’t read, didn’t say" for faculty and students on Wed., April 6th at noon in Ekstrom Library, Room 254. This is a brown bag discussion, so bring your lunch with you. Publication agreements are invariably dense, full of legalese, and incredibly important contracts controlling your scholarship. They describe your long-term relationships with publishers and inevitably limit your use of your scholarship in sometimes surprising ways. Understanding them is central to avoiding unpleasant surprises, signing them accurately, and most importantly managing your body of scholarly works effectively through time. This conversation is about the considerations, pitfalls, and realities of your publication agreements and how to interpret them wisely.

In the News

$30M grant could revitalize area west of 9th (The Courier-Journal, 3/27/2016) – Prof. John Gilderbloom (Urban & Public Affairs) on investment in the Russell neighborhood.

Cat owners more likely to experience road rage (Mother Nature Network, 3/28/2016) – Prof. Paul Ewald (Biology) on parasites in cats that can affect their owners.

Most Arts & Sciences faculty against Ramsey (The Courier-Journal, 3/25/2016) – On the A&S faculty survey regarding Pres. James Ramsey, and the Board of Trustees upcoming meeting April 20.

Exporting Jihad (The New Yorker, 3/28/2016) – Alumna Monica Marks (’09, Political Science, Women’s & Gender Studies, and Philosophy) on radicalism among Tunisia’s youth.

Visually Speaking: This week’s art news and events (3/28) (LEO Weekly, 3/28/2016) – On a lecture by illustrator Barry Moser presented by the Hite Art Institute.

More Kentucky Democrats Opening Wallets For 2016 Presidential Election (WFPL, 3/30/2016) – Prof. Laurie Rhodebeck (Political Science) on campaign donations.

Feds Say Medicaid May Be Link To Mental Health, Substance Use Treatment (WFPL, 3/29/2016) – Prof. Monnica Williams (Psychological & Brain Studies/director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities) on insurance reimbursements for mental health.

Louisville Downtown Partnership, Urban Design Studio to share well-known planner's expertise (Business First, 4/1/2016) – Director of UofL's Urban Design Studio Patrick Piuma will join the Louisville Downtown Partnership as its planning director.

Kentucky’s Hidden Past Rediscovered

Heritage Project aims to preserve and share the state’s LGBTQ history