Monday Memo, February 7, 2022

Dear A&S Colleagues,

Like any publication, the Monday Memo and yours truly can make mistakes. In the last edition I neglected to mention some key contributors to the Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies. This event was a model of the robust interdisciplinarity that defines A&S, and a range of departments were represented on the planning committee: Yuxin Ma (Dept. of History) as Coordinator, Jianhua (Andrew) Zhao (Dept. of Anthropology) as Program Chair, Hiromi Taniguchi (Dept. of Sociology) as Local Arrangement Chair, and Ying-Kit Chan (Hite Arts Institute) as Program Art Designer. The committee wishes to thank all Asian Studies faculty affiliates, students, and sponsors who contributed to the success of the January conference.

Last week we asked faculty and staff for their participation in two major initiatives: awards season and the Provost’s A&S Strategic Planning Committee. We in the Dean’s Office recognize that these initiatives are in addition to the many responsibilities that faculty and staff already shoulder. To those who find the time to participate, whether by submitting nominations, serving on awards committees, or running for election in the Faculty Assembly to serve on the provost’s planning committee, we are enormously grateful. We clearly see your dedication to making your colleagues feel valued and helping the college thrive in the evolving circumstances of this decade. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Julie Wrinn, Chief of Staff

Reminders

The Office of New Student Orientation is currently accepting layout orders for the 2022 Freshman Orientation Guide. The orientation guide is a great way to get information about your department and services into the hands of students and their family members before the start of classes in the fall. The deadline for submission and payment is March 1, 2022. Departments should consider using their Foundation resources for this important recruitment initiative. For more information or an order form, contact Orientation Programs or Carsyn Kidwell, 852-7276.

Dr. Aesha Uqdah, Director of the Counseling Center, is encouraging faculty and staff to take advantage of the Mental Health First Aid Trainings being offered by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) through a grant. These are “open” trainings for employees who were not able to participate in the scheduled trainings held in October and November of 2021—please do not register if you attended one on those. Virtual trainings via Zoom are on March 4, March 9, March 25, March 30, April 8, April 13, April 15. In-person trainings at the University of Kentucky are on March 11, April 6, April 22, April 29. Registration will close 30 days before the training date. https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cVfFQBksJTFS4US. Questions should be directed to Katherine Jury at katherine.jury@uky.edu.

Dr. Joy Hart is calling for nominations of students for the Woodcock Medal, the most prestigious recognition of accomplishment by an undergraduate student in the College of Arts & Sciences. The medal is awarded each year to “an outstanding senior whose personal characteristics and superior scholarship give promise of constructive leadership in society.” The A&S Honors Thesis Committee selects the nominee on the basis of a student’s record and at the recommendation of faculty members. Students eligible are those who graduated in December 2021 and those who will graduate in May 2022. Letters of nomination should be sent to Dr. Hart by email (joy.hart@louisville.edu) by Wednesday, March 9.

The Poetry Derby is a celebration of language and community during the Kentucky Derby Festival. This year’s theme is mythologies, playing on the lucky coincidence that Pegasus is the mascot of the Kentucky Derby Festival and the mythological figure associated with poetry and creativity. Youth (18 and under) and adults in Louisville and surrounding areas can submit poems for the contest by March 16, 2022. Writers can send in up to three poems, but no more than one per writer will be selected. All submissions must be typed, marked “Adult” or “Youth,” and include contact information (name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address). Entries can be sent by email to kentuckypoetryderby@gmail.com or mail to Poetry Derby, c/o Kristi Maxwell, 315 Bingham Humanities Building, 2216 S. First St., University of Louisville, Louisville KY 40292. Mailed entries must be postmarked by March 16, 2022, to qualify.

Kudos

Congratulations to A&S alum Cornelius Sanford, an M.L. King Scholar who graduated with a double major in Psychology and Pan-African Studies, for being awarded the 2022 Charles B. Rangel Fellowship, following a highly competitive nationwide selection process. The Rangel Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, will support Cornelius through a two-year master’s degree in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service and provide him with internships, mentors, and skills training. Upon successful completion of the program, Cornelius will become a U.S. diplomat in summer 2024. Sanford said, “I’d like to thank the MLK Scholars Program, PPIA, VACorps, and the Peace Corps for instilling my dedication to public service and helping prepare me for this opportunity. Thank you to Kelly Stone, my internship supervisor in Cape Town, and Professor Tyler Fleming, my mentor from U of L, for guiding me in developing the mindset and desire to be a Foreign Service Officer.”

Kudos to Associate Professor Kaila Story, who was profiled in the February issue of Today’s Woman magazine. Among her many accomplishments at UofL, Dr. Story established the minor in LGBTQ Studies in 2009, and she hosts an award-winning podcast on NPR, “Strange Fruit: Musings on Pop Culture, Politics, and Black Gay Life,” with activist Jaison Gardner (https://wfpl.org/category/podcasts/strange-fruit/). Dr. Story holds joint appointments in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Pan African Studies, and her hard work has established UofL as an important voice in the national conversation on these issues.

Congratulations to Andrew Rabin, who has been asked to take over as co-lead editor of the journal Anglo-Saxon Studies. This is not only a great testament to Andrew’s reputation in the field, but it associates the Department of English and UofL with production of the premier journal devoted to Anglo-Saxon scholarship.

U.S. News and World Report recently awarded UofL online degree programs a number of impressive rankings: its bachelor’s degrees ranked #59 in the country and #38 for veterans. A few A&S degrees received even higher distinction: congratulations to Chair Ben Mast for his department’s online bachelor’s degrees in psychology ranking as #13; and to Chair Tad Hughes for his department’s online master’s degrees in Criminal Justice ranking as # 13, and #16 for veterans. Such excellence in online education is a clear sign that our college is responding successfully to students’ evolving needs for a variety of modalities.

Events

The ACE Women’s Network has announced that registration for its Leadership Speaker Series is now open. “Advancing to Leadership Roles in Higher Education: A Conversation with Scholars Barbara Cozza and Ceceilia Parnther” will be held 12–2 pm ET on Tuesday, February 8. Cozza and Parnther will discuss their upcoming book, Voices from Women Leaders on Success in Higher Education. Scheduled for release in February 2022, this book advises aspiring and current women leaders on how to advance into higher education leadership roles. Ted Mitchell, president of ACE, and Judy K. Sakaki, chair of the ACE Women’s Network Executive Council and president of Sonoma State University, will also be on hand for this dynamic conversation with the authors. The event is free but registration is required. For more information about this and upcoming ACE events, click here.

Zena Sharman, Ph.D., writer, speaker, strategist, and LGBTQ+ health advocate. “From Institutional to Collective Ethics: Practicing Accountability in LGBTQ+ Health Care Research.” February 16, 12–1 pm.

Calvino Prize for Fabulist Fiction reading by Steve Wilson
February 17, 7:30 pm, Tim Faulkner Gallery
Wilson will read from his winning short story, “Ted,” followed by a discussion with creative writing program director, Ian Stansel.

Louisville Conference on Literature & Culture Since 1900
https://louisville.edu/english/calendar/louisville-conference-on-literature-and-culture
February 24–26
Bingham Humanities Building, 300 (Conference Center)

The French Film Festival continues this week. Asterisks [*] below indicate an introduction and discussion with Tom Carson, film critic for publications including the Village Voice and GQ. All screenings are at the Floyd Theater, Student Activities Center, 2100 S. Floyd Street, free admission. Contact: Matthieu Dalle ● m.dalle@louisville.edu ● (502) 852-6115

FRANCE
Bruno Dumont / 2021 / 133 min
Thursday, Feb. 10 @ 5 pm [*] & 7:30 pm
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paC7nW8xJrY

ONLY THE ANIMALS (Seules les bêtes)
Dominik Moll / 2019 / 116 min
Thursday, Feb. 17 @ 5 pm [*] & 7:30 pm
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh8YqMLfAjc

2 AUTUMNS, 3 WINTERS (2 automnes, 3 hivers)
Sébastien Betbeder / 2013 / 93 min
Thursday, Feb. 24 @ 5 pm [*] & 7:30 pm
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZtDcCAyLwU

TITANE
Julia Ducournau / 2021 / 108 min
Thursday, Mar. 3 @ 5 pm [*] & 7:30 pm
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYm2RETn_oQ

Next in the Astronomy on Tap series from the Department of Physics & Astronomy will be Dr. Benne Holwerda speaking on the biggest disk galaxy known. March 2, 7 pm, Monnik Beer Co., 1036 E. Burnett, Louisville 40217.

Axton Reading Series – Ilya Kaminsky
March 10, 7:30–9:30 pm — Chao Auditorium (Ekstrom Library)
Kaminsky is the author of the widely acclaimed collection Deaf Republic (Graywolf, 2019), a finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry, which Kevin Young, writing in the New Yorker, called a work of “profound imagination.”

Health Care Ethics Series: T. Benicio Gonzales, M.S.W., Director, Center for Health Equity at the Louisville Metro Dept. of Public Health and Wellness. “Advancing Health Equity in Louisville.” March 23, 12–1 pm