Monday Memo, May 23, 2022 — College of Arts & Sciences

Dear A&S Colleagues,

When this semester began amid snowstorms and a new Covid variant, Commencement seemed a long way away. All of us should take satisfaction in the shining achievements of A&S’s newly minted graduates, especially considering the challenges of two full academic years during Covid. These students are the reason why we’re here, and it was your perseverance as well as theirs that made another Commencement with all its fanfare possible.

As we shift gears for the summer semester, departments and supervisors are reminded of the College’s policy of up to one remote day per week, with a supervisor’s permission. Of course, remote work means being fully available during working hours, by phone, email, and Teams. Remote work agreements should be on file, and staff should display their remote schedule physically, e.g., a note posted by your office space, and electronically, e.g., indicated in your Outlook calendar (I was not fully compliant with this until writing this message!). The Dean’s Office in Gardiner Hall remains open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Finally, Dean Owen is committed to making the College of Arts & Sciences an inclusive and equitable work environment, where the Cardinal Principle of Respect is valued and put into action. Constructive criticism is both wanted and valued, and you are encouraged to contact Dean Owen, Human Resources Business Manager Senior MaryPat Chiavaroli, or myself by phone or email on any matter. If you have feedback and would prefer not to identify yourself, you may use the Dean’s Office’s subscription to Incogneato, a service that forwards comments anonymously. A committee of four individuals reads that feedback: David Owen, Julie Wrinn, MaryPat Chiavaroli, and one rotating associate dean. For that link and more about the process of reviewing and responding to those comments, please visit https://louisville.edu/artsandsciences/contact/feedback.

Sincerely,

Julie Wrinn, Chief of Staff

Scholarships Project

Cardinal alumni and friends have long understood our students’ challenges in affording college and have responded by creating hundreds of scholarships to help them succeed. Awarding and stewarding these scholarships is a complex process that touches faculty and staff in every A&S department. A team composed of development officers Denise Bohn and Asma Addarrat-Edwards, Donna O’Donnell from the UofL Foundation, and Dana Stefaniak and myself in the Dean’s Office are working to create a comprehensive process that will include a “one-stop shopping” website and streamlined applications for students. On May 18, our team filled a whiteboard with all the stages in the life cycle of a scholarship, from application to award to ways of showing appreciation to donors. Many of you will be hearing from our team in the coming months as we seek to streamline, create efficiencies, and improve the experience for both students and donors.

The life cycle of a scholarship, with (left to right) development officers Asma Addarrat-Edwards and Denise Bohn.

Travel Reminder

A&S Business Operations reminds us that airline travel pricing and flight availability continue to increase dramatically. As responsible stewards of tight budgets, it is our responsibility to ensure that we travel in the most cost-effective manner possible. Booking flights through our two contracted travel systems, Concur and Anthony, will ensure the best prices. If your flight is cancelled or postponed, they will secure the necessary credits or arrangements to apply to the next trip you book. Furthermore, the use of these services will facilitate your travel reimbursement process, saving you valuable time preparing that paperwork. For questions about strategies to secure the most cost-effective air fares, contact Terri Hall, 502-369-8400 or terrihall@anthonytravel.com.

Research News

This month students and faculty from the Department of Anthropology and Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage are partnering with the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) and the Kentucky Department of Education for a summer archeological field school. Lead by Anthropology faculty Ashley Smallwood and Thomas Jennings, who is director of the Center for Archeology and Cultural Heritage, UofL and KSB students are learning archaeological methods and uncovering the history of KSB’s campus. All members of the public were invited to visit the site for Community Day Saturday, May 21, and see the artifacts that have been uncovered. Read more.

Photo courtesy of WDRB.

In other Anthropology research news, faculty Tom Jennings, Angela Storey, Kathryn Marklein, and Ashley Smallwood recently received $147,328 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to conduct research about Louisville’s historic Eastern Cemetery. This project will create cohesive maps of the cemetery, explore possibilities for noninvasive survey. and engage with members of the descendant community and the nonprofit Friends of Eastern Cemetery to document and explore their interactions with and perceptions of the site.

Kudos

English Professor Matthew Biberman launched the Italian edition of his memoir, La Leggenda di Big Sid e la Vincati, during the 2022 Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI) Motoshow at the Varano dè Melegari race circuit outside Parma, Italy. The memoir, first published in English in 2009 as Big Sid’s Vincati, tells the story of an impulsive promise to his dying father to build a Vincati together changed their lives. Matthew shared the stage with 15-time Moto World Champion Giacomo Agostini (pictured in his Yamaha race leathers).

Congratulations to Anna Bussabarger, who recently earned a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing, for receiving the Modern Languages Fund Award from the Department of Classical and Modern Languages. The scholarship pays the entire cost of a one-month summer immersion experience in Salamanca, Spain. Bussabarger hopes to apply her Spanish language skills to roles in marketing strategy or brand management, ultimately working in an international marketing department at a large corporation. “UofL really set me up for success from multiple vantage points,” she said. “All of my amazing professors have really rooted for me and cared about my growth, something you don’t hear about from other large institutions.” Read more.

Beth Mattingly Denham, a Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Communication and executive director of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Kentucky, is a recipient of Today’s Woman’s “Most Admired Woman Awards” in the Health and Wellness category. Sixteen outstanding female leaders in various fields of expertise will be honored at an awards ceremony and reception Tuesday, June 14.

Hite Institute of Art and Design students who were recognized at the Louisville Advertising Federation Awards (ADDYs) celebrated on March 3rd. All Gold winners are automatically moved up to the ADDY’s regional competition. Congratulations to:

Taylor Collins — nth Degree brand identity: Student Gold; and Student Best of Show
Lindsay Creque — Zabawa packaging design; Student Gold
Mackenzie Smith — Catalent brand identity: Student Gold
Lorin Gregory — Civil Rights Tour Book publication design: Student Silver

Pictured above (left to right): Lindsay Creque, Taylor Collins, Leslie Friesen, and Mackenzie Smith

Events

May 26–27 is the final weekend for the Hite Institute of Art and Design’s 75th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition. The exhibition features 36 Hite alumni who graduated with a B.F.A., M.A., or M.F.A. and spans the graduating years of 1987–2021. Those invited to participate were selected by Hite Faculty to represent each of the Hite’s specializations, including painting, sculpture, glass, photography, graphic design, and printmaking. The exhibition highlights the successes of our former students, many whom have gone on to become professional artists, educators, and designers, while offering the community an opportunity to see how Hite graduates have succeeded in and contribute to the artistic dialogues of our region. Thursday, May 26, 11 am–6 pm; and Friday, May 27, 1–6 pm. Cressman Center for Visual Art, 100 E. Main Street, Kentucky 40202.

With fewer departmental events taking place during the summer semester, now is the perfect time to catch up on the Anne Braden Institute’s powerful series of 2021–22 virtual programming. Internationally renowned spoken word poet jessica Care moore (pictured below) appeared through a collaboration with the Kentucky Women Writers Conference. Watch here, and see moore’s poem about newest Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson here. “The Fugitive Life of Black Teaching with Dr. Jarvis R. Givens,” a recording from February 22, 2022, is available here; and the 15th Annual Anne Braden Memorial Lecture with Dr. Elizabeth Hinton entitled, “The Fire This Time: Police Violence and Urban Uprisings from the 1960s to Breonna Taylor,” recorded on November 10, 2021, is available here. Finally, to subscribe to the ABI newsletter, please send your request to: bradeninstitutesocialjustice@gmail.com.