There have been a number of exciting developments in the two months since the publication of the last School of Arts newsletter. As the extensive listing of Faculty Achievements (see below) demonstrates, both full-time and part-time instructors are very active professionally. They publish and present papers, attend academic conferences, receive awards, provide valuable service to the University, and celebrate a variety of achievements. Most importantly, they remain completely dedicated to our primary mission: the education of young minds and the preparation of students not only to work but also to live with integrity and meaning.

In October I attended the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) conference on “Deans and Development” in Baltimore. With 200 deans and development officers in attendance, I learned quickly that, due to the intense competition for funding among institutions of higher learning, all academic officers have also become advancement officers in recent years. I view this as a challenge and a tremendous opportunity. I am looking forward to working closely with the Institutional Advancement officer assigned to the School of Arts, Aimee L. Elliotte (English `92) and to identifying and approaching potential donors. In short, I am eager to make development an integral part of my work.

The Fall play – Neil Simon’s comedy God’s Favorite – proved very successful (see below). It attracted large audiences, who responded to the happenings on stage with much laughter and applause. I hope that we will be able to put another high quality production on the schedule as our Spring play. God’s Favorite director Kevin Shaw and I are already considering possibilities should the funding materialize.

As I write this, the State Board of Examiners has just finished putting CBU’s Department of Education under the microscope (see below). This was a routine visit, and our program received a very good grade from the examiners. I would like to thank Dr. Ellen Faith, who coordinated the visit, and the other Education faculty members for their hard work and the many hours they spent preparing for this very important event. As a Lasallian institution, we view the education and training of outstanding teachers and administrators as a vital part of our mission.

Finally, we are now in the midst of the transition from H. Lance Forsdick Sr. to Brother Vincent Malham as president of Christian Brothers University. We in the School of Arts will miss Lance’s straight talk, great sense of humor, ability to get things done, and seemingly endless energy. We are happy to hear that Lance will remain intimately involved with CBU. At the same time, we welcome Brother Vincent and wish him a successful start to his presidency. Brother Vincent’s ties to the School of Arts are very close. He served as a faculty member, Music Department chair (1969-73), and School dean (1981-87).

Brother Patrick’s Generous Gift

Several years ago, Brother Patrick O’Brien established a restricted fund for School of Arts faculty development. The fund makes a sizeable annual donation to the School of Arts budget, enabling faculty to grow professionally. The faculty thanks Brother Patrick for his continuing generosity.

Brother Patrick has been a Christian Brother for 45 years. His service to CBU spans three decades. During this time, he has served as a faculty member, Vice-President of Student Affairs, and Director of Alumni Affairs. However, he is best known for his tireless work as Director of Planned Gifts and Major Gifts in the Office of Institutional Advancement, raising millions of dollars for the University. Indeed, in 1998 the Memphis chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives recognized his professional achievements by naming him Fundraiser of the Year.

At the same time, Brother Patrick has been a strong and reliable supporter of the arts. His numerous interests include theater, architecture, Weimar cinema, art, travel, and history. He has served as a board member of Facing History and Ourselves, past board member of the Brooks Museum of Art, active member of the Kiwanis Downtown Club, and Board Member and Selection Committee Chair for the F.S.C. Foundation.

Brother Patrick will be taking four months personal time off, starting on February 1, 2006. Beginning in June he will be embarking on a one-year sabbatical to train and mentor young staff in the College Development Office of Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.

Faculty Achievements

Brother Ignatius Brown (Education) attended the annual convention of The Catholic Network for Volunteer Service, in Orlando FL, November 10-13. This organization brings together the directors of over 200 volunteer agencies that run programs for education, social service, human rights, ecology, and many other issues. The CBU LANCE Program is a member of CNVS.

Dr. Frank Buscher (Dean) attended the CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) conference on “Deans and Development” in Baltimore. He also completed the Memphis Runners Track Club's 2005 Road Race Series (5k, 5 mile, 10k, 10 mile, 13.1 mile), averaging 6:51 per mile and placing third in his age group.

Dr. Mary Cargill's (Literature and Languages) Seventeenth-Century British Poetry course heard a presentation by David Ouzts, Music Director at Church of the Holy Communion, who led the class in singing hymns based on the poetry of John Donne and George Herbert.

Dr. Marius Carriere (History and Political Science) attended the Annual Meeting of the Southern Historical Association in Atlanta, November 2-5.

Dr. Rena Durr (Behavioral Sciences) has been selected for inclusion in the 2005 edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Dr. Roger Easson (Literature & Languages) taught two workshops for Trammel Crow Company on September 27 with three distinct units each— "E-mail: The Mission Critical Computer Application," "Editing," and "How to Write Letters Containing Bad News and Still Maintain Goodwill of the Customer." This is his third round of workshops for this major Memphis company.

Dr. Ellen Faith (Education) has been nominated by Dot Neale of IBM Corporate Community Relations for the Memphis Leadership Academy. She also participated in a panel on about teacher work samples as an assessment method in teacher education at the Tennessee Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education conference in October.

Dr. Karl Leib (History and Political Science) has accepted an appointment as CBU Pre-Law Advisor.

Dr. Peter Limper (Religion and Philosophy) attended the meeting of the Tennessee Philosophical Association at Vanderbilt University November 4-5, where he served as a paper commentator.

Dr. Elizabeth Nelson and Dr. Rod Vogl (Behavioral Sciences) attended the Best Practices in Teaching Critical Thinking across the Psychology Curriculum in Atlanta, Georgia, September 22 through October 1. Dr. Nelson presented a poster "The Power of Garbage" which detailed her class demonstration of statistical power using a garbage can. Dr. Vogl and Dr. Nelson presented a poster "Using Film to Teach Critical Thinking Across the Psychology Curriculum" which described their uses of film in a variety of their classes. Dr. Nelson has also published two articles in Criminal Justice: "Rape and Sex Offenses" and "Date Rape." Drs. Nelson and Vogl have been selected for inclusion in the 2005 edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Pianist Tony Silva (Music) presented a concert at First Congregational Church on Saturday, October 22, along with Annabeth Novitzki, mezzo-soprano; Anna Lise Jensen, soprano; and Timothy Shiu, violinist and member of the Ceruti String Quartet. The concert, benefiting the First Congregational Arts Ministries, included works by Brahms, Strauss, and Bizet, and also featured American compositions by Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, and Libby Larsen.

Dr. Talana Vogel (Education) presented two papers at the Southern Regional Council on Educational Administration 46th Annual Conference held in Atlanta, on October 27-30. The papers were entitled "Turning the Tide: An Administrator's Role in Teacher Retention" and "An Analysis of Working Conditions Experienced by Beginning Teachers in an Urban School District." She also presented at a paper entitled "Navigating the Discipline Maze: IDEA and the You" at the 51st Annual Conference of the Education Law Association at the Peabody Hotel, November 17-19.

Dr. Theresa Womble (History and Political Science) presented a talk entitled "Life in the Occupied Territories, 1967 to 1987: An examination of Palestinian relationships" at the University of Memphis on November 3. This presentation was part of a semester-long honors seminar on the Arab-Israeli Conflict facilitated by Prof. Jonathan Judaken of the University of Memphis Department of History.

School of Arts Student Achievements and Activities

Twelve School of Arts Day and Evening Students were inducted as new members of Alpha Chi, the interdisciplinary honor society representing the upper 10% of the junior and senior classes, on November 13. The School of Arts congratulates Kären Elizabeth Brandon, Noelle Garcia, Thomas Michael Guro, John Harrell, Amanda Myers, Heather Shirley, Robert Amann, Kelli Cianciola, Scott Rodgers, Michael Rosario,
Anthony Rudolph, and Erica Tyler.

Chelsea Chandler (History '09) participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition at Rhodes College on November 12. She currently studies voice with Tommy Gaines (Music) and was joined by Tony Silva (Music), who served as pianist.

Several students from Dr. Lisa C. Hickman's "Intro to Literature I: Fiction" and "Intro to Literature II: Poetry and Drama" classes attended a reading by Richard Bausch at the University of Memphis on November 15. Bausch holds the Moss Chair of Excellence and is author of 16 works of fiction, with stories anthologized in Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Stories.Nan Kimbrell (Education '06) was named to the Second Team All-GSC in volleyball, as voted by the coaches of the Gulf South Conference. This is her third all-conference honor in three years at CBU.

Laura Washington (ECCM '07) has been named the 2005 Gulf South Conference West Division Volleyball Player of the Year, and has also been named a first-team Daktronicks All-South Central Region selection. The Player of the Year honor is voted on by the coaches of the GSC; All-Region selection is voted on by the sports information directors of the region. Laura is the first Lady Buc to be selected for either honor in volleyball since the team joined the GSC and NCAA Division II.

Alumnae/Alumni Achievements

Casey Goff (History ’04) taught American Literature at the University of Herat in Herat, Afghanistan.

Vanderhaar Symposium

The first annual Gerard A. Vanderhaar Symposium will be held at CBU on Thursday, March 30, 2006 (time TBA). Held in memory of Gerry Vanderhaar, who taught religion at CBU for 28 years and who passed away this past June, the Vanderhaar Symposium will continue his legacy by bringing a noted scholar and/or activist to the CBU campus to address a social and moral issue related to peace and justice and/or Catholic social teaching. Bishop Thomas Gumbleton will help launch the annual spring speaker's series as the first speaker. Also, during the symposium, a university student from the Mid-South area will be the recipient of the Dr. Gerard A. Vanderhaar Award. This award will be given to a student who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of active nonviolence, consistent with Dr. Vanderhaar's life and work. A committee offaculty, staff, and one Board member is currently raising funds and organizing the March symposium. For more information, contact Lisa Bell in the Advancement Office at 321-4299.

Fall Play Very Successful

About two dozen young and very talented CBU students participated in this year’s Fall play, Neil Simon’s hilarious comedy God’s Favorite. Under the direction of Kevin Shaw, the students turned this modern-day version of the biblical story of Job into a high-quality production. The acting, the costumes and the stage design were superb. The following students participated: first-year students Burton Bridges, Megan Kelleher (History), Candice Lermusiaux (Liberal Studies), Russell Brandon, Justin Hilliard (Undeclared Arts), Amanda Taylor, Caitlin Woodward, Mandi Pitt (History), John McNeel, and Kisha Hobson; sophomores Tim Keough (Religious Studies and Philosophy), Shanta Wilson (Psychology), Ally Gomez, Michaelia McClinton, Madeline Jones, Chris Randell, Johannah Herren, and Thais Hunter; junior Amy San Pedro; and senior Erica Murray (English for Corporate Communications). They deserve our thanks for a wonderful show.

State Site Visit