Monday Memo September 26, 2016

Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who represented Arts & Sciences so well to the high achieving students who were on campus Saturday for Accolades. These are the students we really want to recruit for our freshman class next fall. We had a great turnout, so the future seems bright.

It seems impossible but it is already nearly midterm, and our students will enjoy a fall break next Monday and Tuesday. Please remember a good retention practice is to provide feedback in the form of graded work, so that struggling students can make an informed decision about dropping a class to preserve their GPA. We have a few “late start” classes to accommodate those students who should drop a class for now, but need to enroll in another class to preserve their financial aid.

Also, it’s already time to begin thinking about who of your colleagues you would like to nominate for the 2016-17 A&S awards. Because of requests for a later due date, you now will have until January 11 to submit your nominations. The awards will be given at the annual Celebration of A&S Excellence in April 2017. In addition, the winners in each qualifying award category will be forwarded to the President and/or Provost’s Offices as the College’s nominations for the corresponding University-wide awards. The various awards include the A&S Distinguished Faculty Awards, the A&S Outstanding Performance Awards for staff, the A&S Supervisor Awards, the Diversity Champion Awards, and induction into the A&S Hall of Honor. To find out more, including awards’ criteria and how to submit a nomination, please go to louisville.edu/artsandsciences/awards.

Finally, as I’m sure you know, tonight is the first Presidential Candidate debate. Many of our political scientists will be watching and we look forward to their evaluative commentaries later this week. If you’d enjoy an alternative on television, I recommend Oracles on the Smithsonian channel (965) where our own Dr. John Hale and his archeological work on the famous Delphic Oracle will be featured.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kempf-Leonard

Dean

Announcements

Prof. Christopher nominated for Faculty Assembly Chair
Prof. Karen Christopher (Women’s & Gender Studies) has been nominated as chair of Faculty Assembly. Many thanks to Karen for her willingness to stand for election. The election will be the first order of business at the meeting on Friday, October 21st, prior to the visit by Acting President Pinto. We are not required to have a contested election, but if anyone else is interested in running for the position, please email Prof. Andrew Rabin no later than Friday, October 14th. Also, Prof. John Gibson (Philosophy) is stepping down as parliamentarian. If anyone is interested in serving in this position, please email Prof. Rabin by Oct. 14.

2016 (Fall) Internal Grants Program deadline is October 25
The Office of the EVPRI is accepting applications for the Internal Grants Program. The Internal Grants Program (Research I, Research II and URG) aims to assist faculty in new highly productive research projects. All grant categories are open to full-time faculty. Information and applications forms are available online.

Inclusive Teaching meeting Sept. 28
Join the Inclusive Teaching Community Wednesday, September 28, from 12 – 1:30pm to discuss Cross Cultural Dynamics. The group will meet in SRB, room 228. Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Aaron Rollins.

E-Proposal presentation Sept. 27
Ron Gregg, PhD and chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, will present “eProposal: Electronic Submission of Grants at UofL with iRIS - No More PCFs,” September 27, 12-1 p.m., in Shumaker 139. This presentation is sponsored by the Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation. A light lunch will be provided. For more info call 852-8006 or email iris@louisville.edu.

Thank a Donor Day Sept. 27
Thank a Donor Day is an opportunity to show appreciation to those whose financial generosity supports endowed chairs, scholarships, research grants and trials, facilities, student groups, athletics facilities and teams, and more. The events will be Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the West Plaza near the Red Barn on Belknap Campus and Thursday, Sept. 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the HSC Plaza. Email Eileen Chapoton or call 852-5064 for more information.

Teaching, Research, Creative Activity, & Service

CJ professors earn nearly $1 million in grants for two projects
Criminal Justice Profs. Ben Fisher, Cherie Dawson-Edwards, and Kristin Swartz received federal grants totaling nearly $1 million to examine the relationship between law enforcement and schools. The first project is “School Climate, Student Discipline, and the Implementation of School Resource Officers,” led by Prof. Ben Fisher (principal investigator), Prof. Cherie Dawson-Edwards (investigator) and Prof. Kristin Swartz (investigator), and the second is “Understanding the Adoption, Function, and Consequences of School Resource Officer Use in Understudied Settings,” led by University of Maryland Prof. Chris Curran (principal investigator) and Prof. Fisher (co-principal investigator).

Communication research crisscrosses the globe
Prof. Margaret D’Silva (Communication) and Communication graduate students Anita Zipfel and Caitlyn Crenshaw completed a study on the cultural values reflected in Cuban advertising, particularly billboards, which stemmed from a trip there last semester. Communication graduate student Cecelia Hunt, who was travelling to Hungary, joined the project. Zipfel, Crenshaw, and D’Silva presented their research at the International Association of Intercultural Communication Conference in Shanghai, China, and Zipfel, Crenshaw, and Hunt presented their research again in September at the Kentucky Communication Association conference. The KCA panel also featured Prof. Ralph Merkel’s (Communication) short movies documenting Cuba, and undergraduate Savannah Guerrero’s collection of stories from Cuban refugees titled, Con Acento Cubano.

Comparative Humanities professors guest edit journal on global translation
A special issue of The New Centennial Review titled Translation and the Global Humanities, was guest-edited by Comparative Humanities Profs. Pamela Beattie, Simona Bertacco, and Tatjana Soldat-Jaffe (now at Florida State University).

Prof. Lai co-edits landmark Chinese architecture series
Prof. Delin Lai (Fine Arts) co-edited The History of Modern Chinese Architecture, which covers the modernization and development of Chinese architecture from the seventeenth century to the mid-twentieth century. This five-volume book was published in August 2016 by China Architecture & Building Press, the most prestigious academic publisher of architectural books in China.

Prof. Losavio presents at International Association of Crime Analysts conference
Prof. Michael Losavio (Criminal Justice), at the invitation of the National Institute of Justice, addressed “Using Data from Smart Devices and IoT and the Challenges and Risks in Privacy, Security, and Law” for the International Association of Crime Analysts 2016 Annual Conference.

Kudos & Congratulations

Army ROTC Cadets rank in top ten percent in the nation
Two Army ROTC Cadets ranked in the Top 10% of the Nation and two Cadets ranked in the Top 20% of the Nation – all receiving the coveted title of Distinguished Military Graduate. Eighteen Army ROTC Cadets commissioned this academic year. It is a highly competitive process, and 17 of the 18 Cadets received their component of choice – 16 chose Active Duty, and 15 received it, with one on the Active Duty alternate list (will likely get Active Duty), one chose National Guard and received it, and one chose Army Reserve and received it.

Board of Trustees approves BA in Sustainability
On Thursday, Sept 22, the Board of Trustees approved a new degree for UofL, a BA in Sustainability. Offered by A&S through the Department of Urban and Public Affairs, this innovative, interdisciplinary degree will prepare students to be thought leaders and solution seekers in their community and the world in ways to make all things more sustainable. The degree program director will be Prof. Dave Simpson, UPA Chair and Chair of the University's Sustainability Council. The degree will be available to students fall 2017.

Prof. Dawson-Edwards to present with activist Angela Davis Nov. 16
The Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research will host the 4th Annual Research Meets Activism Breakfast, featuring a panel of local scholar/activists, including Prof. Cherie Dawson-Edwards (Criminal Justice), with concluding remarks from Angela Davis on Wednesday, November 16th from 9:00 – 10:30am. It will be at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage located at 1701 West Muhammad Ali Blvd. This is a free event but registration is required. To register, email Dionne.Griffiths@louisville.edu or call (502)852-6142. Registration ends when at capacity or no later than October 21, 2016.

In the News

U of L Presents Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro (Kentucky Monthly, 9/16) – On the 2016 Phi Beta Kappa lecture featuring Prof. James Shapiro (Columbia University), co-sponsored by the Department of English, which will be held Nov. 17.

UofL’s Department of Theatre Arts takes on August Wilson’s ‘Fences’ (Insider Louisville, 9/20/16) – Profs. Baron Kelly (Theatre Arts) and Johnny Jones (Theatre Arts) on the department’s performance of Fences.

Calling all lumberjacks and lumberjills: Flying Axes is coming soon (Insider Louisville, 9/21/16) – Patrick Piuma, director of the Urban Design Studio (Urban & Public Affairs), on a new axe throwing range set to open next year.

UofL named top LGBTQ-friendly university

Early efforts led by Women’s & Gender Studies faculty
The early advocacy and organizing work led by Prof. Nancy Theriot (Women’s & Gender Studies), along with faculty and staff across UofL, helped earn the University of Louisville the designation as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly universities in the country.