A Quick Word from the Dean | Faculty Achievements and Activities | Peter Limper: Professor Emeritus | A Fond Farewell | Welcome New Faculty | Student Achievements and Activities | A Special Word of Thanks from the CBU Writing Center |Alumnae/Alumni Achievements and Activities | Report from International Initiatives Office | Department of Education Attends Institute at Alverno College | Contact Us
Brother Vincent Malham, President of Christian Brothers University, in consultation
with the School of Arts Faculty and the Academic Vice-President, appointed
me Dean of the School of Arts. Our regular readers of the Arts Newsletter
are aware that I am succeeding Frank Buscher who left CBU for a teaching
position at our friendly rival, Rhodes College. Frank’s tenure as
Dean was brief, but it was also very productive, and I hope to be as successful
as he was. This Newsletter, incidentally, was Frank’s inspiration.
I am inheriting a school that is changing and growing: Professor emeritus Peter Limper has retired; Pete Gathje, Michael Schiefelbein, and Brother Dan Susek are moving on to new positions and new opportunities. Anthony Williams is off on a travel adventure before deciding what will be his new career. In light of the recent changes, I am privileged to welcome some excellent new additions to the faculty in this newsletter.
I firmly believe the School of Arts is the “heart and soul” of the Christian Brothers community. We positively touch so many lives and I want the good news of the Arts to be heard not only by the CBU community, but also by our wonderful alumnae and alumni, students, parents, and friends. My door is open and I hope to hear from all of you.
Peace and love to all of you.
Marius Carriere, Dean of the School of Arts
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Dr. Scott Geis (Religion and Philosophy) was presenter and panelist for an event advertised as "Unraveling the Da Vinci Code" at Church of the Holy Spirit in Memphis on May 22.
During the summer, Dr. Karl Leib (History and Political Science) has been at work researching a journal article on global climate change and its potential impact on the sovereignty of nation-states. The paper also delves into some history, exploring how our modern idea of the "sovereign state" differs from the way the state was conceptualized during the Middle Ages.
Dr. Scott Nikaido (Religion & Philosophy) gave a series of talks at the Idlewild Presbyterian Church entitled "The Jews, John, and the Gospel of Thomas: Understanding the New Testament Gospels" on April 23 and 30.
PETER LIMPER: PROFESSOR EMERITUS
The
2006-07 academic year will be one of change for the Religion
and Philosophy Department of the School of Arts. Among those leaving
us is my friend and colleague Peter Limper. For the past
29 years, Peter has been a valuable member of the department, school,
and university community. In addition to introducing countless students
to philosophy and laboring on every important University committee, Peter
served as chair of the department and Dean of the School of Arts. Though
the position came with little prestige, his most important work during
his time at CBU has been as an invaluable repository of institutional
memory and wise counselor to his fellows, faculty and administrators alike.
Though my colleagues in the department and school are pleased that he
has changed status to emeritus professor and member of
the leisure class, we will miss him, his wit and his insight. Good luck
in retirement Peter, and please feel free to attend any faculty meetings
that catch your fancy.
Max Maloney, Chair of Religion and Philosophy
While
the Literature and Languages
Department regretfully announces the resignation of Dr. Michael
Schiefelbein, we celebrate the fact that he will now be able
to practice his new calling full-time as a minister of the United Church
of Christ. He will begin his duties as the pastor of College Avenue Congregational
Church in Modesto, CA, 85 miles east of San Francisco, on July 12. Schiefelbein
was ordained last year after graduation from Memphis Theological Seminary.
At Memphis’ First Congregational Church, he was chaplain of Pilgrim
House, a hospitality center for homeless families, people in difficult
circumstances, and college interns doing community service. In the Literature
and Languages Department, Schiefelbein taught many courses beyond freshman
composition and sophomore literature, including Honors World Lit I and
II, the 19th-Century British Novel, the 19th-Century American Novel, Creative
Writing, Victorian Prose and Poetry, Junior and Senior Seminar, and Special
Topics courses in Dickens and in the Bible as Literature. We thank him
for his fifteen years of service to the department and wish him joy in
his new appointment.
Mary Cargill, Chair of Literature and Languages
The Department of Fine Arts and Speech is proud to welcome Mr. Tommy Gaines as our new full-time Visiting Assistant Professor of Music. Gaines is formerly a member of the voice faculty of Rhodes College and previously held faculty positions at the University of Memphis and Crichton College. Gaines is a nationally recognized voice teacher and currently the Vice-President of the Memphis Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Gaines students have won numerous competitions at the local, state, regional and national levels. Gaines has sung professionally and can be heard as soloist in the CD Fairest Isle: The Music of England.
The Department of Religion and Philosophy is proud to welcome two new additions to the School: Drs. David Gides and Paul Haught.
Dr. David Gides comes to us as our new Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy and Graduate Director of the Master of Arts in Catholic Studies program. Gides received his Ph.D. from Fordham University in Bronx, NY, where he specialized in Modern Historical Theology with a concentration in Roman Catholic Systematic Theology. Gides comes to us from Emmanuel College in Boston, MA, where he spent the last two years teaching as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. He attended a college in the tradition of the Christian Brothers and has taught at a Christian Brothers high school and college.
Dr. Paul Haught joins the Religion and Philosophy Department as an Assistant Professor. Since 2004 he has been Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at Newberry College in Newberry, SC. He has also taught at Clayton College and State University in Morrow, GA, and at Tulane University, where he earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy in 2004.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Andrea Bordwell, Cynthia Holmes, Ashley Hum, and Dr. Rod Vogl from the Department of Behavioral Sciences presented several posters at the Seventy-eighth Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association in Chicago, IL. Dr. Vogl and colleagues from several other universities presented a poster entitled "Frequent storytelling behaviors for individuals in low and high, but not neutral moods." In addition, Dr. Vogl presented a poster co-authored by Lauren Cox and Dr. Beth Nelson entitled "Perceptions of others derived from an online conversation." Also, Cynthia Holmes and Dr. Vogl presented a poster entitled "The effect of imagery and problem decomposition on divergent thinking." Finally, Ashley Hum, Andrea Bordwell, and Dr. Vogl presented a poster entitled "The relationship between locus of control and online protection behaviors against identity theft."
The following students were recently inducted into Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology: Bruce Bivens, Lauren Bobal, Andrea Bordwell, Stanley Eason, April Hall, Jessica Horvath, Ashley Hum, Shelley Lawrence, James Masters, Thomas McDaniel, Ashley Miller, Kim Neal, Chartell Nelson, Regina Paige, Candice Phillips, Jonathan Pritchett, Michael Rosario, Anthony Rudolph, Erica Sage, Dory Sellers, Michael Tayco, and Shanta Wilson. The following members were elected as officers for the 2006-2007 academic year: Ashley Hum (President), Andrea Bordwell (Vice President), Jessica Horvath (Secretary), Kim Neal (Treasurer), Shanta Wilson (New Members Officer), Jonathan Pritchett (Public Relations Officer), and Lauren Bobal (Research Coordinator). For information on becoming a member, contact Dr. Maureen O’Brien at mobrien@cbu.edu.
Teri Mason (Behavioral Sciences) took three MHIRT program student participants to The 66th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to present their research from summer 2005 projects in Uganda. MHIRT program research presented in March:
- Student Opportunities for Support for International Research through NIH MHIRT Programs: Christina Blanchard-Horan and Teri Mason (contributor: Malinda Fitzgerald)
- A Malaria Prevention strategy in Uganda: Crystal Ton and Beth DeBlanc (graduate program in Medical Anthropology, University of Memphis)
- Barriers to Self-Sustainability at an Alternative IDP Camp: Manny Patel (Biology '05)
A SPECIAL WORD OF THANKS FROM THE CBU WRITING CENTER
The CBU Writing Consultants' trip to Belfast, Ireland from June 1st thru 6th was made possible in part by a generous donation from Mr. Edward Warwick ('65). While in Belfast the students, John York, Adam Zaloudek, Mandi Pitt, and Tim Miller, participated in a joint workshop with the Writing Center administrators and tutors in the Writing Centre at St. Mary’s University College in Belfast. The CBU Writing Center Director, Dr. Clayann Gilliam Panetta, accompanied them.
ALUMNAE/ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Megan (Alcazar) Dress ('02) received her Masters of Science from the University of Memphis on Saturday, May 6, in Psychology.
Jeanne Peneguy (2000) was recently accepted into and will begin the Loyola (New Orleans) Institute for Ministry Extension (LIMEX) program to pursue a Master of Religious Education. This will be her second Masters pursuit. Peneguy already has a Master of Public Administration degree from LSU.
Ben Austin (ECCM '04) and Emily Pate (English '04) got engaged in January 2006 and will be married this July in Memphis. They currently live in Chicago where Ben will complete his masters in English at Loyola University in June and where Emily works as a copywriter.
Congratulations Ashley Griffin (ECCM '05)! On March 30, 2006, Ashley and her husband had their first child - a baby girl named Lauren Katherine Griffin. The Griffin's currently live in Charlotte in they're second house after moving from Memphis.
Deborah Lilton ('01) received her Master’s in English from Rutgers University and is now completing her MLIS at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
Angela Miles-Powell ('93) is the Memphis, Arkansas, and North Mississippi Area Manager for Ticketmaster. She is happily married to illustrator Michael Powell.
Ashley Smith ('02) received her Ed.S. from the University of Memphis on Saturday, May 6, in Psychology.
REPORT FROM INTERNATIONAL INITITATIVES OFFICE
Christian Brothers University offered three very successful study abroad and travel experiences over the spring and summer semesters.
During Spring Break seventeen students, faculty and alums completed an exciting eight-day trip to Madrid and Toledo, Spain. Students received credit in Economics, Global Studies, or Spanish. Sights included the world-famous Prado Museum, the treasures of the Monasterio Descalzas, and visits to a Spanish telecommunications corporation, as well as to FedEx, Madrid. Among the many other scintillating cultural experiences was an authentic flamenco show in the Latin Quarter. Ms. Pat Papachristou and Dr. Emily Forsdick returned "tired, but happy" and ready to go again.
During the May/June term, Emily and Lance Forsdick, along with veteran travelers Wanda and John Anderson, traveled with a group of faculty, staff, and alumni to Rome and Assisi for eight days. They visited St. Peter's Basilica with an American seminarian as guide, the Vatican Museum, a catacomb, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, were part of a Papal audience and more. Staying at the world-headquarters of the Christian Brothers, the Generalate, in a small quaint hotel with a multi-national environment was an awesome experience. Favorite spots were the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain where everyone made a wish and threw a coin in the fountain to assure a return visit to the "eternal city." A highlight for the more adventurous, Tom Maher included, was a climb of over 300 steps to the top of the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica - what a view. John Ventura, his wife, Margaret, and son, Charles, joined Frank and Jami Gattuso, Terry and Norma Britt, and Margaret and Craig Cardwell on a one-day trip to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. Brother Jim Roszak enjoyed revisiting and exploring many sights from years past.
Another wonderful and exciting study abroad adventure was also taking place at this time. In mid-May a group of seventeen students and three faculty members left for a thirty-day study session in the bucolic countryside of Ormskirk, England, just outside the Beatles' capitol of Liverpool. They attended classes at Edge Hill College taught by Drs. Tracie Burke and Max Maloney, and Ms. Jana Travis. In addition to their studies in psychology, philosophy, and art, they toured much of the surrounding area and even took side trips to Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Everyone met up with Dr. Forsdick in London for five days and four nights of continuous activity including visits to Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, Picadilly Circus, Soho, the Freud Museum, and the Tower of London, a cruise down the Thames River and more.
Pictured
from left to right: Sarah Copland, Kevin Nuckolls, Jana Travis,
Kimberly Wade, Laura Bailey, Amanda Alsbrook, Sarah Huggins, Shelonda
Richardson, and Mary Anne Wilhite. The photograph
was taken by Dr. Tracie Burke, and submitted by Kevin
Nuckolls. Mr. Nuckolls reported, "The picture was taken
on the Millennium Bridge in London. It's a footbridge that was erected
as a part of the Year 2000 Celebration. We were about to go to the Tate
Modern, which is directly behind the person taking the picture. Off in
the distance is St. Paul's Cathedral."
Plans in progress include another trip to Rome in October during Fall Break, Barcelona and Figueras, Spain, with a day trip to a medieval walled city, Carcasonne, France, for travel during Spring Break of 2007, and another 30-day summer experience at Edge Hill in early summer term.
Two announcements: Ms. Wanda Anderson is now assisting in the International Initiatives Office and she can be reached at Ex. 3264, or by e-mail at wanderso@cbu.edu. Also, Jestein Lamey will be studying at Edge Hill College for the full Fall Semester, 2006.
Please check the Study Abroad website at www.cbu.edu/Academics/studyabroad for updates and new photos of trips.
Emily Forsdick, Director of International Initiatives
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ATTENDS INSTITUTE AT ALVERNO COLLEGE
On June 18 Samantha Alperin, Ellen Faith, M.A. McCoy, Brother Michael Schmelzer, and Talana Vogel from the Department of Education traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend Alverno College’s 30th Annual Institute on “Connecting Teaching, Learning, and Outcomes.” The trip was funded by an Assisi grant to pursue national accreditation. The content of the institute was largely delivered in three days to an international audience of persons from a wide variety of higher education institutions and academic areas. Through presentations made by faculty from Alverno College, which has perhaps the most comprehensive, long-lived, and impressive system of outcomes-based higher education in our country, Christian Brothers faculty learned along with colleagues from Hong Kong, England, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States about everything from course-embedded assessments to assessments in majors. Some faculty elected to extend their stay, which gave them two extra days to work under the guidance of Dr. Mary Diez, a 30-year Alverno faculty member who is also serving as the NCATE consultant to the Department of Education.
Do you have news you would like to share with the School of Arts? Email us at soanews@cbu.edu today!