Monday Memo July 18, 2016

Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

There were several outstanding candidates for the position of director for the new Commonwealth Center for Humanities and Society. The ideas of each person interviewed were compelling, and we should all be encouraged by the many strong advocates and accomplished scholars in humanistic inquiry that we have in the College. Thank you to everyone who applied!  

I am delighted to announce that Dr. John Gibson will direct the CCHS. Dr. Gibson brings to the position a vision of how the CCHS and Arts & Culture Partnership institutions can work together to advance both UofL and the community, and he has the energy and enthusiasm to make it happen. He also will be an effective spokesperson for the arts and humanities in and beyond the College of Arts & Sciences, at a time when such advocacy is especially important. Please join me in welcoming John to this position.

I am also pleased to announce another new opportunity. We need an Acting Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education from January-June 30, while Dr. Julia Dietrich is on sabbatical, to help with the SACS reaccreditation site visit, undergraduate enrollment, and general education issues. The Acting Associate Dean will want to devote approximately 5% of their fall semester AWP (roughly one-half day per week) to working with Julia, and spring semester will receive a one course reduction, one-ninth additional salary, and a salary supplement of $4,000. Interested full-time faculty should send letters of interest, outlining their qualifications, to Jackie Gutterman by August 12.

Sincerely,
Kimberly Leonard
Kimberly Kempf-Leonard

Dean

Announcements

RFA for ExCITE grant deadline Aug. 8
Do you have an idea for a product that could improve patient care or enhance human health? If so, we want to hear from you! Funded by the NIH, the UofL ExCITE hub offers proof-of-concept grants for all types of health-related ideas. Grants are for a maximum of $200,000 per project, and we expect to fund 5-10 projects per year. All UofL faculty, staff, trainees and students are eligible to apply. A two-page pre-application is required by August 8. Details and application forms can be found on the ExCITE website.

Teaching, Research, Creative Activities, & Service

Prof. Keeley’s work featured in National Catholic Reporter
Prof. Theresa Keeley's (Political Science) presentation, "Nuns, an Ex-Nun, and Reagan: Debating U.S.-Central America Policy," from the Conference on the History of Women Religious was featured in the Global Sisters Report of the National Catholic Reporter.

Prof. Lutz is editor of Norton critical edition
Prof. Deborah Lutz (English) is the editor of the new Norton Critical Edition of Jane Eyre (4th edition), which was just published.

Professors publish work on capital sentencing and racism
Prof. Gennaro Vito (Criminal Justice) and Prof. George Higgins (Criminal Justice) have published "Capital Sentencing and Structural Racism: The Source of Bias" in Race & the Death Penalty: The Legacy of McCleskey v. Kemp, pp. 71-88 in D.P. Keys & R.J. Maratea, eds. (London, UK: Lynne Renner).

In the News

Prof. Justin Nix (Criminal Justice) on his research on police-involved shootings and racial bias.

Pokémon Go leads straight to Oldham Co. woman's grave (WAVE-3, 7/12/16) and Louisville Cemetery Wants No Part In Pokémon Go (WFPL, 7/14/16) – Prof. Michael Losavio (Criminal Justice/Computer Engineering and Computer Science) on the Nintendo game Pokémon Go and concerns about the inappropriate placement of PokéStops, where players capture Pokémon.

Donald Trump selects Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as VP (WDRB, 7/14/16) – Prof. Dewey Clayton (Political Science) on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s selection of Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate.

Long-running Lou. gay club's roots run to 70s (The Courier-Journal, 7/15/16) – Prof. Cate Fosl (Women’s & Gender Studies/Director, Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research) on former Louisville bar the Downtowner, which was a gathering place for LGBTQ activists throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.

UofL's Digital Media Academy works to keep 6th grade girls interested in math and science (WHAS-11, 7/11/16) – On UofL's Digital Media Academy, a free two-week summer camp for rising sixth grade girls from local public schools, run by Prof. Andrea Olinger (English) and five English graduate students: Caitlin Ray, Ashanka Kumari, Jessica Newman, Brit Thompson, and Michelle Day.

Spotlight on Faculty Research

Avery Kolers

Ever since Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living," philosophers have been trying to identify and explain the meaning of life and how to live the best life we can. Read philosophy professor Dr. Avery Kolers’ research on that idea, and more, in this spotlight on faculty research.