Monday Memo, February 8, 2021 — College of Arts & Sciences

Announcements

Nominations for A&S 2020-21 awards due 2/28

Please take the time to nominate your faculty and staff colleagues for a 2020-21 A&S award. Awards will be given at the College’s virtual Celebration of A&S Excellence in late Spring. Date and time TBA. The winners of the A&S Distinguished Faculty Awards and Outstanding Performance Awards for staff will be forwarded to the President's Office as the College's nominations for the University-wide awards of the same name. Submission deadline: February 28, 2021. For more information and to nominate.

Required COVID-19 testing begins today

All university members who come to campus are required to get tested for COVID-19 between Feb. 8 and Feb. 19. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, you are not required to get tested during this period (if your test result came from an off-campus testing provider, you must contact Campus Health to confirm those results). If you are working entirely remotely and not coming to campus at all, you are exempt from this requirement but must complete this short form for the spring semester.

Looking for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 and UofL? Questions about instruction, travel, events, testing, etc.? Go to UofL's main coronavirus page at louisville.edu/coronavirus. Be sure to bookmark it in your web browser as it is updated frequently.

Community of Care

All employees invited to Simon Sinek

In celebration of the new Employee Success Center's launch, President Bendapudi will host a virtual fireside chat Feb. 22 with author and speaker, Simon Sinek, about his renowned focus on creating a great workplace culture. Sinek’s TED Talk is the third most-watched of all time. The ESC, part of the “Great Place to Work” goal in UofL's strategic plan, focuses on improving workplace culture and employee engagement through leadership training, mentoring and coaching. Register here to receive the link for this special event.

Memorial for Prof. Annette Allen

The Department of Comparative Humanities will host a Memorial for Prof. Annette Allen on Wednesday, February 24 from 12 to 1:30 PM. Please join us to celebrate Prof. Annette Allen’s life, accomplishments, and contributions to the Humanities and the University of Louisville. Prof. Allen passed away in December, but we were unable to honor her memory at that time due to the university’s winter break. We would like to do so now, and we would like you to join us.

The event will be held virtually on Zoom. If you would like to say a few words, please let us know and we will put you on the speakers’ list. Please RSVP to Joshua Boydstun by Monday, February 22 by Noon. A Zoom link will be sent to you before Wednesday. We look forward to seeing you, and please be sure to send this invite to anyone you think might wish to attend and honor Prof. Annette Allen.

Brown bag it with Dean Owen

Dean Owen will have open virtual “office hours” during lunch. Grab your lunch, and feel free to “drop by” to ask questions or just for informal conversation. Come when you can and stay as long as you are able! Join via Microsoft Teams. Click here to join the meeting or call in (audio only) 1-502-792-9582, 206107237#.

Setting the World Alight

A lumna from the Department of English fulfills a desire to build a community through writing

Communication

Social Media Circle

This social media circle is available to anyone who manages social media for their department or program. This circle includes university faculty and staff coming together to discuss innovative and effective social media practices. All skills levels welcome! The group will meet from 1:00pm-2:00 pm virtually on the 4th Tuesday of each month in the spring semester. Join the Social Media Circle.

Business Operations

Adobe Creative Cloud is free for everyone at UofL

All students, faculty, and staff have free access to the complete Adobe Creative Cloud suite of apps. All you need is a current UofL email address and password. Go to the dedicated website to access the software and tutorials.

Changes to A&S gift processing

University Advancement have made a couple of significant changes regarding how they process gifts effective January 1, 2021. Find a list of those changes here. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call Denise Bohn, Senior Director of Development at 502-852-8824.

Spotlights

Nantz and Handa names UofL Innovators

The UofL Executive VP for Research and Innovation (EVPRI) Commercialization EPI-Center recently awarded UofL innovators from Fiscal Year 2020. Professors Michael Nantz and Sachin Handa (Chemistry) both were named! Prof. Nantz received a license certificate and two patent plaques. Prof. Handa received a license certificate. Congratulations to them both!

Happy Book Birthday to Prof. Strickley

Summer Camp Publishing just published Sister, a novella by Prof. Sarah Anne Strickley (English), that traces its protagonist’s life through three significant eras and attempts to offer a sensitive and considered answer to the question: how do you build a family out of the wreckage of your youthful indiscretions? The book is set in rural, southeastern Ohio, and covers a span of more than twenty years; it’s both a portrait of a marriage and a portrait of a woman attempting to do her best with the hand that life has dealt her.

Student Fulbright semifinalists

24 UofL students and alumni have been selected as semifinalists for the 2021-2022 U.S. Student Fulbright Awards! They have applied to conduct research or teach English in 16 different countries, and represent 17 different majors across UofL's College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, College of Education and Human Development, School of Music, and Kent School of Social Work. Congratulations, semifinalists, and best of luck in the next round! Anti-Racism Agenda 16+ events and ways to celebrate Black History Month in Louisville
The Courier Journal mentions The Harlem Renaissance Fast Class with Prof. David Anderson (English) and the African American Theatre Program Virtual Cafe Open Mic.

Prof. David Anderson shares with the community for Black History Month.

Prof. David Anderson (English) will be participating in three virtual public events in connection with Black History Month. Feel free to join and please spread the word!

On Tuesday, February 9th at 6:00 p.m., Prof. Anderson will be giving a short Zoom talk about the Harlem Renaissance for the Louisville Free Public Library. More info
On Thursday, February 11th at 6:00 p.m., Prof. Anderson will be leading a Zoom discussion for the Jeffersonville Public Library about African-American poetry, which is part of a Library of America grant the library received, and which is connected to the launching of Kevin Young's new anthology of African American poetry, entitled African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song. Prof. Anderson believes that Frank X. Walker will be part of the panel that day. More info
On Thursday, February 18th at 6:00 p.m. David will introduce Mitchell Douglas (who read in the Axton series last fall): this, too, will be a reading and discussion as part of the Jeffersonville Public Library's Lift Every Voice grant to celebrate African American poetry and history. More info.