A Quick Word from the Dean | Faculty Achievements and Activities | Alumnae/Alumni Achievements and Activities | Student Achievements and Activities | An Evening With the Arts |Service-Learning Workshop | Damon Griffin Speaks to CBU Students | Mhirt Program Village In the News | New Leaders for New Schools | Behavioral Sciences News | Online Gift Form Is Now Available | Correction | Contact Us |
Spring
Break has ended, and we are moving out of the Easter Season. It has been
a very busy Spring semester with several departments interviewing candidates
for various positions within the School of Arts.
Several of our alums have been very generous this year and we have received a number of financial gifts. The faculty and staff want to thank all of you for your support.
We also want to thank the hundreds of people who have visited our web site. CBU is in the process of improving its site, and we invite you to comment about what you would like to see changed, added, or deleted.
Perhaps the biggest news is there will be an improved and renovated theatre on campus. By late April, the renovation of the CBU Theatre should be completed. You may have driven on East Parkway and noticed the exterior construction. The Fine Arts and Communication Department will inaugurate the renovated theatre during the fall 2007 semester.
This Newsletter will be the last for this academic year, but we will have a Summer 2007 Newsletter, coming out in July.
Peace and Joy,
Marius Carriere, Dean
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
M.A. McCoy (Education) attended the annual conference of the National Council for the Social Studies in Washington, DC, on December 1 - 3, where he led a roundtable discussion by members of the "Contrarians" (a special interest group that advocates a strong emphasis on content in the teaching of social studies). McCoy also participated in the NCSS Geography Bee at the Washington Convention Center, hosted by Alex Trebek of Jeopardy! television fame.
Kris Pruitt (Professor Emerita) was elected vice-president of the Milton Society of America at its annual meeting in Philadelphia in December. She will be president of the society in 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Milton Society and the 400th anniversary of John Milton's birth.
Brother Allen Johnson (Literature & Language), Dr. Sara Pitts (Business Law), and Rob H. Kamery (former CBU business faculty) authored "The Effects of Part-Time Instruction on Final Grades in the English Composition Course at a Comprehensive University" in the Academy of Educational Leadership Journal (Volume 10, Number 3; December 2006).
Fedrico Gomez-Uroz (Literature & Languages), Ruth Valverde-Salas (Literature & Languages), Teri Mason (Behavioral Sciences), Manish Patel (Biology '05, UTHSC M2), Julia Hanebrink (Behavioral Sciences/Anthropology), and Dr. Malinda Fitzgerald (Biology) attended a conference through the Global Health Education Consortium entitled "Beyond Borders: Global Health and Migrating Populations" in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Also in attendance were Mechelle Elosiebo (UTHSC) and Dr. Mohamed Kanu (TSU). The group presented both a paper entitled "An Assessment on the Mental Health Issues on the Acholi People with Regards to the Conflict Occurring in Northern Uganda" and two posters entitled "Minority Health International Research Training" and "Implementing Malaria Prevention Through Education in Uganda." These presentations stemmed from research conducted in Uganda the summer of 2006 through the MHIRT program.
Tommy Gaines (Music) took nine of his voice students to the Mid-South Regional Competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), where two of his high school students won First Place in High School Women and High School Men. CBU was also well represented with high scores from Amber Herbert and Stephanie Ramirez (Freshman Women) and by Russell Brandon (Freshman Men).
Gaines has been hired by Opera Memphis to be one of the teachers in its upcoming Summer Opera Camp for high school students ages 15-19, July 10-20 at the Clark Center Opera Memphis Facility. Gaines has also been chosen to be the conductor for the final performance of all of the opera scenes that will be presented in public performance at the end of the camp.
ALUMNI/ALUMNAE ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Nick Chantara ('04, PSYC ) accepted an offer for admission into the Physical Therapy program at UT Memphis.
Jamie Daugherty ('05, English) received the Master of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Linguistics from the University of Memphis on December 16, 2006.
Mary Margaret Seward Freeman ('00, ECCM) had twins on July 18, 2006. Their names are William Thomas and Bruce Edward. She is married to fellow CBU alumni Byron Freeman ('99, MBA).
Deborah L. Lilton ('01, ECCM) received her Master's in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. In 2004, she received her Master's in English from Rutgers.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Thanks goes to the Honors Program bowling team (aptly named "Honors Students Is Good Bowlers"), who won the trophy for most pledges collected for the 2nd Annual Tri Beta Bowl-a-thon. They took home the same honor last year.The group, composed of Dr. Tracie Burke (Behavioral Science), Jacky Wong ('10, BSEE), Jessica McKinney ('08, BS Mathematics/Computer Science), Catherine Montesi ('10, ENGL), and Jessica Wright ('10, Liberal Studies), turned in $244 in pledges. Following closely was Dr. Beth Nelson (Behavioral Science) who single-handedly collected $234.
You are cordially invited to an evening with the Fine Arts on Friday, April 27th. Come and join us at the opening reception for the Senior Art Exhibition, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm in the Montesi Executive Center.
The CB Singers will sing their annual Spring Concert after the exhibition. The concert will be filled with a variety of music from Mozart to medleys from Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. The program will start at 7:00 pm in Spain Auditorium.
Several
CBU faculty and staff were treated to an afternoon workshop on service-learning
pedagogy on March 2. The workshop was hosted by Dr. Joseph Favazza,
Dean of General Education and Interdisciplinary Programs at Stonehill
College. Topics covered included service-learning course and syllabus
design, experiential learning, and community collaboration and partnering.
The session also included a presentation by a current CBU partner in community
service, Joe Keohane, CBU alumnus and director of development/public
relations at the Bodine School in Germantown. Workshop materials are still
available. For more information on the program or on service-learning
opportunities at CBU, please contact Dr. Scott Nikaido
at snikaido@cbu.edu or Dr.
Paul Haught at phaught@cbu.edu.
DAMON GRIFFIN SPEAKS TO CBU STUDENTS
On March 21st, Damon K. Griffin, Assistant District Attorney and Adjunct Professor of Political Science spoke to CBU students at the Pre-Law Society's Spring Presentation. Drawing on his own experiences, Mr. Griffin answered questions about how to adjust to law school and the career options open to attorneys. This event was co-sponsored by the Pre-Law Society and the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.
MHIRT PROGRAM VILLAGE IN THE NEWS
The
Hope North village in Uganda where CBU faculty such as
Teri Mason (Behavioral
Sciences), Ruth Valverde-Salas (Literature
and Languages), and Malinda Fitzgerald (Biology)
have been working for the last few years through the Minority
Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program, was recently
in the news thanks to support from actor Forest Whitaker.
Hope North was featured in an article on alumni Manny Patel's
('05, Biology) work at A
Place Called Hope in the Spring 2006 edition of the Bell Tower.
CBU has held fundraisers for the village, and the Mhirt program has built
houses there, as well as provided other aid and research assistance. The
village is an alternative IDP (in-country refugee) camp for Uganda war
orphans: one that provides education in a safe area, an alternative to
the squalor of many of the other camps in the country. The village was
established by Sam Okello, a Ugandan artist who has visited
CBU and whose brother was kidnapped to serve as a child of war and killed.
It has been an exceptional struggle to try to feed and educate the ever-increasing
numbers of children who arrive at the village, and Mr. Whittaker’s
aid is greatly appreciated.
The MHIRT grants are designed to offer research-training opportunities to qualified eligible students and faculty to participate in international biomedical and behavioral research programs abroad. Recent MHIRT projects include a wildlife preservation and health care exchange program; research in diseases of the eye in Brazil; malaria prevention; and "lost generation" children in internally displaced person (IDP) camps in Uganda. For more information, visit the CBU MHIRT website. For more information on Forest Whitaker's recent support of Hope North, please see the article "Uganda: Corporates Bond With Famed Actor to Support School Project," published on allAfrica.com.
The Department of Education is proud to announce that Michael Collins and Kiersten Schnacke-Meyer, both current Masters of Education Leadership candidates, were selected through a highly-competitive process to participate in New Leaders for New Schools in the Memphis City Schools. This program is described on the Memphis City Schools website.
New Leaders for New Schools recruits outstanding candidates for principals, who then receive extensive academic training, including the six-week Summer Foundations Institute, a yearlong resident principalship with a high-performing principal of Memphis City Schools and special leadership development at The Leadership Academy. New Leaders for New Schools is also exploring having its Memphis candidates supported both by The Leadership Academy-developed Business Mentors Program, where Memphis private sector leaders advise and support the principal candidates, and the New Leaders Resource Center, a clearinghouse of local experts in specialized fields.
The Department of Education wishes Michael and Kiersten well as they begin their careers as administrators!
TRAVIS' "NEW PAINTINGS" A SUCCESS
The
Beverly & Sam Ross Gallery at Christian Brothers University was proud
to present an exhibition of paintings by Memphis artist and CBU faculty
member Jana Travis entitled "New Paintings," which was displayed
from January 19 – February 22, 2007.
Travis uses mixed media materials such as oil paint, natural fiber bark, and rice paper prints. Travis describes her technique in the following way: "Nature casts layer upon endless layer of limitless textures, shapes, colors, and immeasurable unseen subtleties that can’t be described in any written form. Therefore, I paint. Through my paintings I try to capture the influences of these points in nature and instill them in my work. Like nature, my work constantly evolves and changes to reflect my interpretation of the world around me."
CBU
would like to thank Travis for the generous donation of her painting "Back
In the Swing of Things."
Travis is currently an assistant professor of art at Christian Brothers University, where she is also chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Speech and holds the Harold R. Krelstein Chair in Performing Arts and Communications.
On Saturday, February 17, the following psychology students made presentations at the Mid-South Psychology Conference at the University of Memphis. They were accompanied by Drs. Tracie Burke, Rena Durr, Elizabeth Nelson, Maureen O’Brien, and Rodney Vogl.
Paper Session
Bailey, Laura; Mims, Tracy; and Overall, J. Bennett.
The Relationship Between
Religiosity and Happiness.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
Gyarmati, Krista; Brandon, Russell; and Hill,
Adrienne. The Relationship
Between Parental Weight Expectations and Dieting Behaviors in Females.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
Buckley, Bridget M.; Cochran, Brittany M.; and
Anderson, Ponecia.
The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Sports Participation.
Honorable Mention
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
Poster Session
Castro, Antonio; Cruz, Charmaine; and Tucker,
Jermel. The Relationship Between Religious Commitment and Academic
Success.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
Wilson, Sharonda; Cagen Sarah; and Gray, Richard.
The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Celebrity Worship in College
Females.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
Hunter, Thais; Wilks, Sunny; McKee, Carl; and
Ragland, Chastity. Relationship
Between Parental Involvement and Academic Achievement.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
Adams, Barbara; Gibson, Shmeka; and Kronenwetter,
Victoria. The Relationship Between Exercise and Depression.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
2nd Place
Marshall, Christy; Fitzgerald, Megan; Shackleford,
Meagan; and Rushing,
Marcie. The Relationship Between Motivation and Need for Success.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen O’Brien
Lawrence, Shelley and Durr, Rena. Perception
of Emotion in Pets.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Rena Durr
Griffin, Greg; Huff, Erin; and Lawrence, Shelley.
Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Sexual Risky Behaviors in College
Females.
Faculty Sponsor: Elizabeth Nelson
Bobal, Lauren; Hum, Ashley; Bordwell, Andrea; Horvath, Jessica; Pritchett,
Jonathan; Wilson, Shanta; Neal, Kim; Kronenwetter, Victoria; Gyarmati,
Krista; and Vogl, Rodney. The Relationship Between Sexual Self-Schemas
and Sexual Boredom.
Faculty Sponsor: Drs. Rodney Vogl and Maureen O’Brien
Hum, Ashley; Bordwell, Andrea; Holmes, Cynthia;
and Vogl, Rodney. The
Relationship Between Need for Cognition, Boredom Proneness, and Different
Types of Thinking.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Rodney Vogl
ONLINE GIFT FORM IS NOW AVAILABLE
The CBU Annual Fund now allows alumni to designate their gifts to a particular school or area. The new online donation page is set up so you can specify where your gift should be used. In addition, you can dedicate your gift to the honor or memory of someone special in your life. Because of its simplicity, giving cash is the most popular form of giving. Cash gifts may be made by currency, check, money order, bank draft, or credit card. The applicable income tax deduction reduces the actual cost of the gift. If you would like to make a donation online, you may do so by visiting https://secure.cbu.edu/alumni/gift/
LANCE Program participant Christine Harrell teaches students only in the third grade at De La Salle, which is no longer called Blessed Sacrament.
Do you have news you would like to share with the School of Arts? Email us at soanews@cbu.edu today! The DEADLINE for submission to the next School of Arts newsletter is Monday, June 25, 2007.