Monday Memo November 7, 2016

Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

Happy November!

As many of you know, Will in the Ville – the much anticipated, community-wide celebration of Shakespeare’s First Folio coming to Louisville – is well under way. The First Folio exhibit itself opens at the Frazier History Museum November 10 and will be up through December 10.

There are many very significant College contributions to Will in the Ville (see full Will in the Ville calendar), including this year’s UofL Phi Beta Kappa Lecture featuring Shakespeare author and scholar James Shapiro on Thursday, November 17 at the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. Additionally, our Department of Theatre Arts’ production of King Lear, November 10-14 and 17-20 at the Playhouse Theatre, is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The production will star Professor Baron Kelly, our head of acting who has significant experience on stage and in film and television, as Lear. Directed by Jennifer Pennington, this production is a special collaboration between UofL and the Commonwealth Theatre Center. You can purchase tickets online or at the Theatre Arts box office.

Good luck with everything as we head toward the end of the Fall 2016 semester. I know how busy everyone will be between now and the end of classes, so I wanted to provide a few chances for some much needed UofL-themed respite! If you wish to be entered into a drawing for 1 or 2 tickets to King Lear or for 2 tickets to the UofL vs. UK football game on Nov. 26, please submit your name to asadean@louisville.edu. For Lear, please indicate by the end of the business day on Nov. 9 your performance date preference and whether you want one or two tickets. For the UK game, please indicate your interest by end of the business day on Nov. 21.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kempf-Leonard

Dean

Announcements

Diversity Champion award deadline Jan. 11
The Diversity Award Sub-committee is seeking nominations for a staff and a faculty member to be awarded a Diversity Champion. This award is for faculty and staff of the College of Arts & Sciences who embody a commitment to diversity and to constructing an inclusive campus community. The award amount is $500 and will include a plaque-mounted certificate. Nominations are due by January 11, 2017. For more information visit, http://louisville.edu/artsandsciences/idep/diversity-programs/diversity-awards.

Teaching, Research, Creative Activities, & Service

Prof. Omer-Sherman presents at American University
Prof. Ranen Omer-Sherman (Humanities) was invited to present "The Imagined Kibbutz: Tensions Between the Individual and the Collective," a discussion of his recent book at the “The Kibbutz: Ideal, Crisis, Renewal Conference” held at the Center for Israel Studies, American University in Washington D.C. on October 27.

Prof. Zeng Presents at GE Appliances
Prof. Li Zeng (Classical and Modern Languages) gave an invited talk on Chinese culture and business etiquette at the Appliance Park of GE Appliances in Louisville. Prof. Zeng's talk was well received and regarded as a timely educational opportunity for employees of GE Appliances, especially those in Sales and Marketing. The Louisville-headquartered brand-name appliance company is now under the ownership of Haier, a China-based global consumer electrics company. 

Faculty, students participate in Applied Geography Conference
Prof. Wei Song (Geography and Geosciences) chaired the Local Arrangements Committee on which Professor David Howarth and Professor Charlie Zhang also served during the 39th Applied Geography Conference. A&S Dean Kimberly Kempf-Leonard delivered a welcome remark at the conference’s opening reception. Student Kelsey Voit (Geography & Geosciences) won the second prize in the student poster competition. Her poster presentation is entitled “Urban heat island effects and spatial distribution of African American and white populations in Jefferson Country, Kentucky.”

Kudos & Congratulations

History alumnus receives Madden Award
History Department alumnus Wes Cunningham ’16 was awarded the Virginia “Jenny” Madden Award for Graduate Student Leadership and Service. This award recognizes a master’s student who has displayed tenacity in the face of adversity, while attaining excellence in both classroom and outside endeavors.

Quiz Bowl team finishes at the top
The Quiz Bowl team finished first and third respectively at the Kentucky Collegiate Quick Recall League tournament. Finishing in first place, the A team consisted of Mohammed Hindi (Chemistry), Clayton Truman (Mechnical Engineering), Jacob Wollam (English), and Amos Zoeller (Bioengineering). Finishing third, the B team consisted of Kristina Beckner (Undecided), Eric Hahnert (Chemical Engineering), Cody McDowell (History), and Christian Venneman (Sports Administration).

Debate members receive top honors at weekend tournament
Savannah Walker ( Sports Administration/Communication) and Chinnel Williams (Political Science/Pan-African Studies) advanced to the final round in a debate tournament at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. Walker and Williams faced opponents at the JV level, although this was only the second tournament of their debate careers. Additionally, Walker earned a Third Place Speaker award in the Junior Varsity division. Senior Wes Tolbert (Political Science), in his final year with the debate program, was recognized as Eighth Place Speaker in the Varsity division. For more information about the debate team, contact Mary Mudd or go to louisville.edu/debate.

Items of Note

KSTC Announces RFP for KSEF-RDE-020
The Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC) announces a new Request for Proposals (RFP) opening on or around November 18. This round of funding, RDE-020, is open to scientists and engineers from accredited universities, colleges and other postsecondary institutions, and to small businesses in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. For more information, email ksefpm@kstc.com or visit http://ksef.kstc.com/index.php/funding-programs/rde-program.

In the News

If My Body is a Text (WNYC, 10/19/16) – Prof. Kiki Petrosino (English) on police violence, media overload, privilege, and community.

Taking Hostages in Kentucky (Academe 12/16) – Prof. Susan Jarosi on Gov. Matt Bevin and the governance of Kentucky universities.

Louisville could gain 112,000 people by 2040 (Courier-Journal, 10/25/16) and Kentucky Population Expected to Grow (WHAS, 10/25/16), Associated Press, and numerous regional publications in Kentucky – Prof. Matt Ruther (Urban & Public Affairs/director of the Kentucky State Data Center) on population increases in Kentucky.

Your brain on fear: Why spooky stuff has fans (Courier-Journal, 10/27/16) – Prof. Cheri Levinson (Psychological & Brain Sciences) on why people seek scary experiences.

Trump masked the GOP's warts (Courier-Journal, 10/26/16) – Prof. Ricky Jones (chair, Pan-African Studies) on Donald Trump and the state of the Republican Party.

The Unstoppable Stacey Reason (Purchase Family Magazine, 10/17/16) – Fine Arts department alumna Stacey Reason is the new executive director of the Yeiser Art Center in Paducah.

Louisville professor gives talk on new book (WKU Herald, 11/7/16) – Prof. Christine Ehrick (History) will give a talk on her new book, "Radio and the Gendered Soundscape."

More than 60 artists at Open Studio Weekend (Courier-Journal, 10/27/16) – On Open Studio Weekend, the Hite Art Institute's and Louisville Visual Art's annual fundraising event.

Unexpected burial at cemetery raises questions (Courier-Journal, 10/28/16) – Prof. Phil DiBlasi (Anthropology) on burials at troubled Greenwood Cemetery.

UofL curator elevates 'artful' choices (Courier-Journal, 10/28/16) – A profile of Prof. Chris Reitz (Fine Arts) and his role as a professor of curatorial studies and director and curator of the Hite Art Institute’s galleries.

Activist Angela Davis to speak at U of L (Courier-Journal, 10/27/16) – Activist Angela Davis will be the speaker for the 10th annual Anne Braden Memorial Lecture.

Ehrick delivers outstanding book (Bowling Green Daily News, 10/16/16) – A review of Prof. Christine Ehrick’s new book, "Radio and the Gendered Soundscape."

A Mathematician Deals With Another Complex System (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/23/16) – Prof. Dewey Clayton (Political Science) awarded the 2016 American Political Science Association Distinguished Teaching Award.

Sixth annual Writer’s Block Festival features acclaimed author Lauren Groff on Saturday (Insider Louisville, 11/2/16) and Writing, reading center stage at growing festival (Courier-Journal, 1/3/16) – Nationally acclaimed writer Lauren Groff, author of three novels and one short story collection, will give the keynote address at the sixth annual Writer’s Block Festival as a guest of the Anne and William Axton Reading Series.

How social media is changing your political views (WAVE-3, 11/3/16) – Prof. Jason Gainous (Political Science) on the effect of social media on politics.

I lost my baby at 14 weeks, and writing about it helped me out of my despair (The Telegraph, 10/16/16) – Ph.D. student Sarah Ivens (Humanities) writes about the way that writing helped her heal from loss.

Prof. John Hale featured on KET, UofL Today

Director of the Liberal Studies Program and Archaeology professor John Hale shares his work unearthing ancient city of Caesarea.