Monday Memo November 9, 2015
Message from the Associate Dean for International, Diversity & Engagement Programs
Dear A&S Colleagues:
Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. At its best, community engagement enriches scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhances curriculum, teaching and learning; prepares educated, engaged citizens; strengthens democratic values and civic responsibility; addresses critical societal issues; and contributes to the public good.
As many of you know, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching granted the University of Louisville its Community Engagement Classification. This means UofL, along with 361 other higher education institutions, meets Carnegie’s criteria for curricular engagement (CE) and outreach & partnerships (O&P). The College of Arts & Sciences undoubtedly played a significant part in UofL’s being granted that important distinction.
What is less known is that two of the academic and research priority goals listed in UofL’s 21st Century Initiative: Powering the 2020 Plan are related to community engagement:
- Empower Undergraduate Learning
GOAL 5: Increase community engagement experiences - Integrate community engagement in curricula - Implementation plan Spring 2016
- Excellence in Graduate & Professional Education
GOAL 2: Enhance graduate and professional student experience - Expand PLAN (professional development, life skills, academic development, and networking) program with inclusion of community engagement – Implement 2015-16
Are these achievable goals within A&S? Is the College prepared to make community engagement a core element of its teaching, research and service mission?
Moreover, community engagement can have different meanings across the various disciplines. Some see community engagement as social justice, others as service learning, and then there are those who are more directed to different aspects of community development. How do we incorporate all these understandings and interests, and at the same time ensure that communities benefit from the proposed enhancement and expansion of community engagement as outlined in Powering the 2020 Plan?
If you are interested in participating in a workgroup that will help sort through these questions and others related to community engagement, please email me. I hope to hear from some of you soon.
Sincerely,
Theresa Rajack-Talley, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for International, Diversity and Engagement Programs
Announcements
Internal RFP deadline Jan. 15, 2016
On behalf of the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies (SIGS) and the Office of Research and Innovation, an internal RFP, for innovative proposals to drive the University of Louisville’s academic and research excellence for the 21st Century, is open for submissions until Jan. 15, 2016. The grants are for interdisciplinary groups and will provide up to $250,000 per year for three years. For more information, including a downloadable budget template and instructions for submitting, visit IRFP. If you have questions, contact Pam Feldhoff or Beth Boehm .
A&S Awards: Nominations due Dec. 1
The deadline is fast approaching! Please nominate your faculty and staff colleagues for a 2015-16 A&S award. Awards will be given at the College’s first-ever Celebration of A&S Excellence at the Red Barn on March 10, 2016. In addition, the winners of 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 Outstanding Performance Awards for staff, the Supervisor Awards, the Diversity Champion Awards and the Hall of Honor, and faculty and staff award recipients will receive a plaque and a $500 stipend.
Web training for A&S website editors
In an effort to advance our collective web efforts, A&S web coordinator Jason Seitz is offering a training class to all A&S web editors. In this first training session, Jason would like to accommodate the most people by addressing the most needed topics. Please fill out the web form, indicating what topics you would like to cover and the best time for you to meet. For questions, email Jason Seitz.
Drawing for Football Tickets Nov. 12
Dean Leonard would like to share her football tickets to Saturday’s game against Virginia. If you would like your name in the drawing for 2 tickets, please email asdean@louisville.edu by Thurs., Nov. 12, at 4:00pm. Winners will be emailed Friday morning and can pick up tickets any time before Friday at 4:30pm. Good luck!
Food Bank collection through November in GAR 104
A&S Advising is collecting for the Dare to Care Food Bank this November. (It is being coordinated by Kourtney Hall ). The collection box is in GAR 104. The top 10 most needed items are: peanut butter, soup, canned fruit, beans, rice, tuna, cereal, fruit juice, pasta, and canned vegetables.
2015 (Fall) internal grants program deadline Nov. 10
The Office of the EVPRI is accepting applications for the NEW 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. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Nov. 10. Visit information and applications for more info.
2015 Phi Beta Kappa Lecture Nov. 12
Faculty and staff are invited to the annual Phi Beta Kappa Lecture on Nov. 12 at the newly renovated Humanities 100 lecture hall. Dr. Lyle Roelofs, the President of Berea College, will speak on the value of a liberal arts education. The lecture is sponsored by A&S and the Phi Beta Kappa Association of Kentuckiana. The reception immediately following is hosted by the Office of the President. For more information, visit PBK Lecture 2015.
Inclusive Teaching Circles: Sign-up by Nov. 15
Faculty interested in joining the Inclusive Teaching Circle in the spring semester need to sign up by November 15. Groups meet monthly over lunch to discuss readings or topic on inclusive education, share ideas and strategies to facilitate better teaching. For more information, email Thomas Wayne Edison .
Faculty Fellows applications due Nov. 19
Beginning next year, the Commonwealth Center for the Humanities and Society will be organized around an annual theme that provides the foundation for the academic year's scheduled events and for a Humanities Research Lab, involving a bimonthly colloquium. CCHS invites applications for up to six Internal Faculty Fellows around the selected theme for 2016-2017: Mapping the Humanities. Fellows will receive at least one course release as well as a modest supplemental research/travel stipend from CCHS. For more information, visit Faculty Fellows.
Teaching, Research, Creative Activities & Service
Criminal Justice professors publish research
Prof.s Gennaro Vito, George Higgins and Richard Tewksbury (Criminal Justice) published the article, "The Effectiveness of Parole Supervision: The Use of Propensity Score Matching to Analyze Re-incarceration Rates in Kentucky," in Criminal Justice Policy Review.
Prof. Peteet lectures at UC-Berkeley
Prof. Julie Peteet (Anthropology) gave a lecture on Nov. 5 at the University of California, Berkeley entitled "Immerse yourself in the Past: Bathing (hammamat) through Time and Space."
International, Engagement, and Diversity Programs
A&S recognizes the importance of allowing students, faculty and staff who observe work-restricted religious holidays to do so without jeopardizing their academic standing or work-related activities. November work-restricted holy days include Deepavali (Hindu) and Diwali (Hindu, Jain, Sikh) Nov. 9 – 13, Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) Nov. 12, and Thanksgiving (Interfaith USA) Nov. 26. For additional information on this policy, the work-restricted holidays calendar. For other information, visit International, Diversity, and Engagement Programs.
Items of Note
Broadway star works with Theatre Arts students
Broadway star Tonya Pinkins gave singing and monologue workshops for Theatre Arts students and students from the School of Music on Oct 31. To view photos, visit Pinkins Workshop.
International Honor Quilt featured on PBS
Recognized quilt expert and Kentucky Quilt Project Inc. founder Shelly Zegart of Louisville, who was instrumental in arranging the donation of the International Honor Quilt to the university, was featured on the PBS show Sewing with Nancy.
Criminal justice program ranked among top 50 in U.S.
UofL’s online criminal justice program earned a place on the Value College 2016 rankings of the Top 50 Best Value Online Criminal Justice Bachelor's Programs.
In the News
Last-minute push for votes brings questions in governor's race (WAVE, 11/2/2015) and Bevin, Conway Claim Advantage In Waning Hours Of 2015 Campaign (WFPL, 11/2/2015) – Prof. Dewey Clayton (Political Science) on last minute campaigning.
Altars placed on 4th Street for Dia de los Muertos (LEO Weekly, 11/4/2015) – On the Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Program’s altar on 4th Street.
Why did polls miss outcome of Kentucky governor's race? (WAVE, 11/4/2015) – Prof. Dewey Clayton (Political Science) on polling and the Kentucky gubernatorial race.
Governor-elect Matt Bevin makes Kentucky history (WLKY, 11/4/2015) – Prof. Laurie Rhodebeck (Political Science) on Governor-elect Matt Bevin’s outsider status in the gubernatorial race.
Did You Know?
A&S has 86 degree programs in 24 departments across the arts and humanities; the natural and physical sciences; and the social and behavioral sciences: 51 undergraduate degree programs, 12 active doctoral programs, 23 master’s programs, 11 graduate, and 2 undergraduate certificates.
