IU School of Liberal Arts

IUPUI professor provides retrospective as Rockefeller Foundation turns 100

News Categories: Campus News | Grants | History | Medical Humanities | Research

Before there was a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or a Ford Foundation, there was the Rockefeller Foundation, whose philanthropic muscle dominated scientific and medical research for four decades.

The Rockefeller Foundation on May 14 announced its 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge, a $100 million effort to help 100 cities around the world prepare to weather and rebound from either natural or manmade disasters. The campaign continues a visionary approach to “promoting the well-being of mankind throughout the world” that began with the foundation’s creation 100 years ago this month.

“Rockefeller is a well-known name, but most people aren’t familiar with the family’s specific contributions,” said Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis professor William H. Schneider. "Researchers get grants and fellowships. Those are things that didn’t exist before the Rockefeller Foundation."

The Rockefellers’ contributions went beyond funding to creating the mechanisms for dispersing or awarding funds. Lessons learned by the Rockefeller Foundation could well serve today’s leading philanthropic giants, said Schneider, head of the Medical Humanities and Health Studies program in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

The May 16 issue of Nature magazine provides a historic perspective on the Rockefeller Foundation in an article written by Schneider, “Philanthropy: The difficult art of giving.” Schneider is a professor of history in the School of Liberal Arts and a professor of philanthropic studies in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI.

The IUPUI professor is the editor of “Rockefeller Philanthropy and Modern Biomedicine,” published by Indiana University Press in 2002. The content is the work of experts gathered for a conference at the Rockefeller Archives Center in Tarrytown, N.Y.

Schneider is also author of the forthcoming book, “The History of Blood Transfusions in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

To reach Schneider for interviews about the history of the Rockefeller Foundation and its impact on philanthropy, email whschnei@iupui.edu; call 317-274-4740; or contact Diane Brown, at 317-274-2195 or habrown@iu.edu.

Published on: May 21, 2013

IUPUI commencement by the numbers: 6,304 students representing 39 states and 94 countries

News Categories: Campus News | Commencement

If numbers tell a story, here is the story of IUPUI’s 2013 graduates:

-          Three sets of twins will be graduating.

-          The oldest is 72.

-          The youngest is 19.

-          The most common degree to be granted is Bachelor of Arts at 709, with psychology (108) being the largest major. The second most frequent degree to be granted is the Bachelor of Science at 546, with psychology (72) being the largest major.

The smallest group of students, by age, are those younger than 23, at 12 percent. Those 23 or 24 years old make up 24 percent; 34 percent are 25 to 29; and 30 percent are 30 or older.

Women make up 57.7 percent of the graduating students, and 89.2 percent are residents of Indiana. The students come from 91 of Indiana’s 92 counties. Nonresident graduating students represent 39 states and 94 countries.

IUPUI holds two commencement ceremonies, one at 11 a.m. and the other at 3:30 p.m. Both take place in Halls A-B-C of the Indianapolis Convention Center.

There will be 6,386 degrees awarded to 6,304 students: 5,100 degrees awarded from IU and 1,286 degrees awarded from Purdue. The overall total also includes 213 degrees awarded to IUPU Columbus graduates.

Of the degrees being awarded, 153 are associate; 3,879 are bachelor’s; 1,574 are master’s; 64 are doctoral-research; and 716 are doctoral-practice.

Published on: May 11, 2013

Documentary about IUPUI “Cardenio” production earns three Emmy nominations

News Categories: Centers | English

“C.S.I. Shakespeare,” which spotlights the IUPUI performances of “The History of Cardenio,” received Emmy nominations in three categories: “Best Historical/Cultural Program,” “Best Program Editor” and “Best Program Writer,” the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Lower Great Lakes Chapter announced recently.

In spring 2012, the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI and Hoosier Bard Productions, under director Terri Bourus, presented the premiere of "The History of Cardenio," a 400-year-old play by William Shakespeare and collaborator John Fletcher. Bourus is a School of Liberal Arts associate professor of English drama.

“C.S.I. Shakespeare,” a 30-minute documentary that first aired in November 2012 on WFYI 1 Public Television (20.1 DT), tells the story behind the play and its production as the first event for the IUPUI Campus Center Theater. 

“These nominations should be a source of genuine pride and happiness for everyone who collaborated in the creation of this documentary,” said William Blomquist, dean of the School of Liberal Arts. “We very much appreciate our partnership with WFYI, and wish ‘CSI: Shakespeare’ all the best in the regional Emmys.”

The IUPUI performances of “Cardenio” were based on the Shakespeare/Fletcher script as re-imagined by Gary Taylor, an internationally recognized scholar and Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University. The performances were held in conjunction with an academic colloquium at IUPUI, "The History of Cardenio: Spain and England, Then and Now," which attracted major Shakespeare and Cervantes scholars from around the world.

"C.S.I. Shakespeare" retraces Taylor’s 20-year quest for authenticity in re-creating the play, which included filtering old texts through modern high-tech databases to reconstruct the original.

In “C.S.I. Shakespeare,” producer and writer Jim Simmons, an Emmy Award-winning WFYI producer, and his team captured behind-the-scenes interviews with Taylor, Bourus, Hoosier Barbs actors and colloquium guests. The documentary also features on-stage scenes of “The History of Cardenio” live performances. Pete Saetre and Jerry Prince edited the program.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Lower Great Lakes Chapter announced the 2013 regional nominations on April 25. The nominations for “The History of Cardenio” were among 19 Emmy Award nominations WFYI received in recognition of outstanding local documentary and public affairs program productions.

The 44th Emmy Awards ceremony for the Lower Great Lakes Chapter will take place Saturday, June 1, at the Windows on the River in Cleveland, Ohio.

Production funding for "C.S.I. Shakespeare" was underwritten by the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

Published on: May 10, 2013

Wokeck named director of the Institute for American Thought

News Categories: History | Institute for American Thought | Women's Studies

Marianne S. Wokeck has accepted an appointment as the next director of the Institute for American Thought (IAT), effective July 1, 2013. Wokeck is currently associate dean for academic affairs in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI; she will step down from this post to become director of the IAT. Wokeck will continue in her role as senior editor of the Santayana Edition, a part of the IAT, chancellor’s professor of history, adjunct professor of American Studies and Women’s Studies

The IAT is a research facility focused on the fundamental strongholds of American thought and culture. In addition to the Santayana Edition, within the IAT are the Peirce Edition Project, the Frederick Douglass Papers, the Josiah Royce Papers and the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies. The IAT also supports programs for professional editing, American Studies, and American philosophy.

"Marianne Wokeck is an excellent scholar whose outstanding abilities as an academic leader have earned several recognitions," says Dean William Blomquist.  "I’m truly delighted that she will be the Institute’s next director."

David Pfeifer, who has served as the IAT’s director since 2009, will conclude his service on June 30, 2013.

"On behalf of the School, I am especially grateful for Dave’s excellent leadership of the Institute for the past four years," Dean Blomquist says. "And I’m very pleased for all of us that Dave will remain in his full-time faculty role as Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and as Director of the Josiah Royce Project."

Professor Wokeck’s appointment is for a three-year term, through June 30, 2016, and subject to renewal.

Published on: May 09, 2013

Liberal Arts Faculty receive IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute Grants

News Categories: Anthropology | Centers | Communication Studies | English | Grants | History | Museum Studies | Research | World Languages and Cultures

Nine Liberal Arts faculty members have received IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute (IAHI) grants to support their research activities over the next 12 months, totaling $32,052 from IAHI with an additional $9,687 in matching funds provided by the School and the researchers’ department or program.

This year’s winners, including two first-year faculty, are:  

Thorsten Carstensen, Assistant Professor of German, will travel to several archives in Germany during the summer to gather materials for his second book, "Teaching Goethe after Hitler: German Studies in the GDR". The project focuses on the evolution of German Studies in the German Democratic Republic between 1949 and 1975 when literary studies evolved into an ideologically-grounded discipline furthering the Socialist cultural politics of the GDR regime. Dr. Carstensen has received additional funding from the IU New Frontiers Exploratory Travel Fund and the School of Liberal Arts Summer Research and Creative Activity grant programs.

Laura Holzman, Assistant Professor of Art History and Museum Studies and Public Scholar of Curatorial Practices and Visual Art, was awarded a grant for her project, "Pictures for the City: Shaping Philadelphia’s Image for the 21^st Century." Dr. Holzman’s long-term goal is to produce a full-length book that provides a comprehensive look at a fluid set of images, objects, and institutions that define urban regions, specifically Philadelphia.

Megan Musgrave, Assistant Professor of English, will continue her work on a book manuscript that examines how views on the role of children in society, and their ability to think critically, have evolved. "The Re-Invention of Childhood: Children’s Literature in the Age of Consumerism"  will explore how "‘radical’ contemporary" authors, like Salman Rushdie, address young readers not just simply as naïve minds but as developing citizens of the world and future activists who will be socially engaged.  The central question that she plans to explore in her book is whether and how this developing vein of children’s and adolescent literature influences real-world responses from the youth who read it.  

Kevin Robbins, Associate Professor of History, will begin his archival research for his project, "The Most Artful and Inventive Press Barons of Modern Paris: Fanny Laure Rothchild and Samuel S. Schwarz, Organizing Mass Media for the Advancement of Satirical and Radical Modern Art, 1890-1920." The project focuses on the wealthy, entrepreneurial couple who created one of the largest and most innovative conglomerates of illustrated, weekly publications in Paris. He plans a full-length book comparison of at least seven different illustrated publications encapsulating one of the most vibrant periods in French cultural, political, and art history.

Philip Scarpino, Professor of History, will use his award to help fund archival work in Newcastle, UK, for a project entitled "Rivers of the Anthropocene: A Comparative Historical Analysis of the Ohio and Tyne Rivers." Dr. Scarpino and Dr. Jason Kelly, also of the History Department, are collaborating to examine two rivers on two separate continents, with a similar story: How human use of the rivers and our impact on the "face" of the earth has been dramatically transformative over the last 250 or so years. History provides context for the more specialized work undertaken by scientists and social scientists and a framework for understanding our present-day use and development and management of rivers. The "Rivers of the Anthropocene" project will sponsor a invitation-only conference held at IUPUI in January 2014, assisted by funding from the IU New Frontiers/New Concepts program.  

Janani Subramanian, Assistant Professor of English-Film History, has been awarded a grant for her project, "South Asians on American Network Television." The long term goal of the project will be a book-length study that looks closely at the nature of contemporary multiculturalism by focusing on the roles of South Asians within American popular culture, including popular literature, film and television texts.

Iker Zulaica Hernández, Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics, "The Interplay of Referring Expressions, Information Structure and Rhetorical Distance: Evidence from Spanish." Dr. Zulaica Hernandez will use his award to support an experimental study contributing to linguists’ understanding of the ability to refer, which is viewed as one of the most important aspects of human communication.  

New Frontiers Exploratory Travel Grant

Wendy Vogt, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, received a grant for her project called, "Stories from the Other Side: Migration Narratives and Digital Storytelling in Oaxaca, Mexico. Dr. Vogt wants to develop a digital storytelling model, to evoke and capture individual and collective memories, as well as the materiality of the migrant journey, in ways that go beyond traditional ethnography. Her work focuses on marginalized and vulnerable migrant groups in Oaxaca, including those who have suffered extreme violence. Dr. Vogt joined the Anthropology Department faculty in August 2012.

DRIVE (Developing Diverse Researchers with InVestigative Expertise)

YoungJu Shin, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, was awarded a grant for her project entitled, "Mexican-Heritage Youths’ Experience of Emotional Parentification: Mother-Adolescent Dyadic Perspective." Dr. Shin will examine the situation in which immigrant parents living in an unfamiliar culture rely heavily on their children for emotional support and advice, in a reverse of the usual roles each would play. Dr. Shin’s project has a strong health focus in that it will investigate whether or not this role-reversal has a detrimental effect on the adolescent youths’ development and well-being. Dr. Shin joined the Communication Studies Department faculty in August 2012.  

About the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute

Established in 2011, the IAHI supports campus-wide attainment of excellence in research and creative activity in arts and humanities. Its mission includes showcasing and promoting the major intellectual and scholarly contributions that IUPUI faculty members from across disciplines are making in the arts and humanities.

The IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute supports individual faculty members, groups, and interdisciplinary teams in their pursuit of research and creative activity through grant programs and promoting educational experiences in the arts and humanities in academic curricula across campus. In addition, the IAHI serves as a liaison between IUPUI and the community, fostering ongoing partnerships and ventures that advance arts and humanities endeavors.

Published on: May 09, 2013

Wokeck receives Women’s Leadership Award; Others with Liberal Arts ties also recognized

News Categories: Alumni Accomplishments | Faculty and Staff | History | Institute for American Thought | Student Accomplishments | Women's Studies

Marianne S. Wokeck, chancellor’s professor of history and associate dean for academic affairs in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, was selected as one of two Outstanding IUPUI Woman Leaders in the "veteran" faculty category for the 2013 Women’s History Month Leadership Awards.

The award, sponsored by the IUPUI Office for Women, recognizes women faculty and staff who have been outstanding leaders in their department, schools, or who have demonstrated significant leadership at the campus, community, national, and/or international level.

In addition to her primary appointments, Wokeck holds adjunct status in American Studies, Women’s Studies, and is a faculty member of University College. Her contributions have been recognized through numerous awards including three outstanding academic advisor awards in the School of Liberal Arts, an IU Teaching Excellence Recognition Award, and the Alvin S. Bynum Award for Excellence in Academic Mentoring.

Wokeck is an expert on the early colonial period of American history, has directed the American Studies program, and served as Director and General Editor of the Santayana Edition, the multi-volume works of George Santayana, a prominent philosopher and cultural critic. She also played a key role in helping the Center for American Studies transition into the Institute for American Thought, a research center within the School of Liberal Arts.

Among her many activities to benefit the campus and School of Liberal Arts, Wokeck helped bring the InterGroup Dialogue initiative to IUPUI, helped establish a leave policy for senior lecturers through the School of Liberal Arts Faculty Assembly, served as a faculty mentor in the EMPOWER program, and supported and encouraged staff in their professional development.

The award was presented during the Women’s History Month Leadership Reception, held March 27, 2013 in the Campus Center Theater. Chancellor Bantz offered welcoming remarks and the keynote address was delivered by Professor Lauren Christopher, from the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. The event’s theme was "Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics."

Liberal Arts students were also honored during the ceremony. These included Patricia Jordan, a current social work master’s student and liberal arts alumna; Daisy Pham, a Kelley School of Business student with a Liberal Arts minor; and Oaksoon Callihan, a graduating senior and Liberal Arts major.

Mansi Patel, Communications Specialist for the Center for Teaching and Learning and a Liberal Arts alumna, was also honored with the Newcomer Staff award at the event.

Photo: Marianne Wokeck, right, with English professor Jennifer Thorington-Springer, who presented the award.

Published on: May 03, 2013

IUPUI accreditation continued for 10 years

News Categories: Campus News

In its accreditation report, the commission said, IUPUI "operates with integrity,” has “created an excellent learning environment for both undergraduate and graduate students,” has “a unique and strong commitment to civic engagement, which permeates all aspects of the Institution and serves its constituents and communities in mutually beneficial ways,” and has a leadership team with “great forward vision in advancing the Institution.”

The accreditation report also noted that:

*  IUPUI is seen as an innovator and a national leader in general education and in the growing effort to teach students skills that encourage lifelong learning.

*  IUPUI has made a concentrated effort in the past 10 years to improve the learning environment at the campus; noteworthy results include the Campus Center, University Library, information technology resources and support services to increase student success, retention and graduation.

*  IUPUI provides valuable services, civic engagement and program projects to the city of Indianapolis and surrounding areas.

*  IUPUI has national stature and is known for strengths in teaching, learning, assessment, first-year experiences, service learning and community engagement.

As a part of the reaffirmation process, IUPUI sought comments that addressed substantive matters related to the quality of the institution and its academic programs. In November, it hosted a team of Higher Learning Commission evaluators who closely examined all aspects of campus operations. Additionally, IUPUI engaged in a voluntary, extensive four-year self-study that resulted in an extensive online report for the visiting team to review.

“My thanks to the campus and the Indianapolis community for their time, transparency and participation in the comprehensive self-study and to the HLC’s site visit last fall,” said IUPUI Chancellor and IU Executive Vice President Charles R. Bantz. “The site visit report is extremely complimentary to IUPUI’s progress. We are gratified to have received the official notification of our continued accreditation and remain committed to continuous improvement of teaching, research and community engagement.”

IUPUI has been accredited by the commission since 1972 and is reviewed every 10 years for reaffirmation of accreditation. The Higher Learning Commission accredits about 1,100 institutions of higher learning in a 19-state region, including Indiana.

The commission’s letter announcing IUPUI’s continued accreditation and the comprehensive report on last fall’s visit are available on the IUPUI 2012 accreditation Web page.

Published on: April 30, 2013

Gail Plater recognized with IUPUI Spirit of Philanthropy Award

News Categories: Campus News | Civic Engagement | Faculty and Staff | Philanthropic Studies

Gail Plater, former assistant dean for development and external affairs for the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, was honored with the IUPUI Spirit of Philanthropy Award on April 2^nd at the Spirit of Philanthropy luncheon and ceremony.

The Spirit of Philanthropy Awards recognize those who have profoundly impact on IUPUI’s growth and development through their gifts and voluntary service. A total of 30 recipients from across campus were honored at this year’s ceremony held at the IUPUI Campus Center.

A fundraising professional who helped build IUPUI over the past 30 years, Gail was a founding member of the IU Foundation’s Indianapolis office and spent many years on the leadership team for the School of Liberal Arts. 

As she facilitated others’ philanthropic hopes and dreams, she was a model donor herself.  Creating with her husband, William Plater, the Millennium Chair of Liberal Arts during IUPUI’s first billion dollar campaign, Gail inspired others with her leadership gift and vision for liberal arts education in the future.

Gail’s philanthropic spirit has also been expressed by her generosity as a donor to many school and campus programs and the wisdom she has shared as a colleague and professional.

"It would be difficult to imagine a more fitting recipient of the Spirit of Philanthropy award from the School of Liberal Arts," said William Blomquist, dean of the school.  "Gail has established and supported essentially every aspect of the school’s approach to philanthropy, developed and mentored our staff in the Office of Development and External Affairs, and given generously to the school in every way."

The Spirit of Philanthropy is one of the most prestigious philanthropy awards given by IUPUI. In honor of their contribution to IUPUI’s success, this year’s honorees received a framed print by artist Casey Richards titled, "Roman Candle."

"The annual Spirit of Philanthropy event allows us to honor and thank those who have helped IUPUI become a great urban campus," said IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz. "It is a celebration of the special partnership this campus has with the central Indiana community and those whose gifts have allowed us to continue our work, improve our work, and increase our impact."

The luncheon and ceremony were sponsored by IUPUI, the Indiana University Foundation, and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Photo: Gail Plater, second from left, with prior Liberal Arts Spirit of Philanthropy awardees from left Sheila Little, Dolores Hoyt, Giles Hoyt, Virginia Merkel, and Ruth Reichmann (front).

Published on: April 24, 2013

Polis Center at IUPUI launches nontraditional GIS website for study of religion in America

News Categories: Centers | Geography | Religious Studies

The Polis Center, a research center of the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, invites scholars and researchers to explore the Digital Atlas of American Religion, a new website for the study of America’s multi-dimensional religious life within a geographical and multimedia framework.

The American religious landscape has always been complex, with many denominations and faith traditions competing for members. Traditional GIS technology does not support the easy exploration and visualization of such complex data. For instance, it typically shows only the dominant religious group in a county even though dozens or even hundreds of such groups may exist within the same geographic space.

The Digital Atlas of American Religion, to be known as DAAR, overcomes this limitation by providing advanced tools and methods that capture multi-dimensional data in ways that are more visually dynamic and easily interpreted.

With DAAR, users can explore and visualize data via maps, cartograms, tree maps, pie charts and motion charts to reveal patterns, trends and relationships that otherwise are not apparent with traditional GIS.

“We want students, researchers and anyone with interest in American religion to see how much variety exists across the United States among denominational and faith traditions,” said David Bodenhamer, executive director of The Polis Center. “We invite them to examine how patterns of adherence change within and among states and to see how these patterns have changed over time. Unlike the simplistic red state-blue state maps that dominate election coverage, DAAR presents the user with a rich and varied landscape of faith and practice. In making this complex world accessible within a GIS, DAAR has created new and better tools for students and researchers alike.”

DAAR allows scholars to understand the multiple dimensions and diversity of religion across geographies, or within geographies. Paired with historic census data, it allows them to explore relationships to give better context and meaning to the patterns and trends. Maps provide the spatial patterns and relationships; tree maps show relative strength and relationships; charts show trends; cartograms reveal relative numbers of adherence; and motion charts animate trends over time.

DAAR contains historic religion data on adherence, membership and congregations for more than 600 denominations across 120 years. Researchers can drill further into religion data to explore trends in religion practices and beliefs by state or county. And finally, researchers can view religion data in comparison to key variables from the U.S. census, such as race, income and educational attainment.

DAAR was supported by a grant for the National Endowment for the Humanities and is a product of the Virtual Center for the Humanities, a collaboration among The Polis Center, Florida State University and West Virginia University. It replaces the North American Religion Atlas.

About The Polis Center

The Polis Center is a self-funded research unit of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. It seeks to understand the communities in which we live through an entrepreneurial and innovative approach, finding practical, effective and cost-efficient ways for communities to enhance their capacity for meaningful change. Polis works with professional and scholarly communities, especially through application of digital technologies such as GIS and other geospatial tools.

Published on: April 23, 2013

Message from the Chancellor - April 12, 2013

News Categories: Communication Studies | Economics | Faculty and Staff | Research | Teaching

An innovative urban university creates academic degree programs that are attractive to students, that provide the skills graduates need to get good jobs, that employers want to fill their workforce needs, and that help business and industry fuel economic development in central Indiana.

That is why we made a commitment in our mission statement to focus on areas of economic opportunity—foremost among them, health and life sciences. Thus when the Indiana Department of Workforce Development predicted an increase in life scientist positions of 22 percent in a five-year period, it was an opportunity for us to develop new academic degree programs to meet the demand.

With such a health and life science focus, it might surprise you that some of those new academic degree programs are not offered by the long-established “health” schools.

For example, at 16th Street and I-65, two new buildings anchor a commitment by the School of Medicine and IU Health to neuroscience research and treatment. Even as the research building is still being completed, it is obvious these beautiful buildings will make Indiana a destination for neuroscience education, treatment, and research.

So, last fall, the School of Science at IUPUI launched an undergraduate major in neuroscience—a rarity at the undergraduate level—and an opportunity for students to get a head start in pursuing their interests in neurology, psychiatry, and other pre-med disciplines. The response has been remarkable, with many current and future students at IUPUI expressing great interest in the new program.  It is also available as a minor.

To address the management needs of a rapidly changing healthcare system, the IU Kelley School of Business at IUPUI has launched the Business of Medicine MBA to prepare practicing physicians to assume administrative roles. The specialized two-year program begins in September 2013. To accommodate busy physicians’ schedules, it will be delivered in a “hybrid” format, with 50 percent online and 50 percent delivered “live” one weekend per month. This hybrid scheduling makes it possible for physicians to enroll no matter where they live.

Also in the pipeline, pending approval by the IU Board of Trustees, are three health-related graduate certificates in business. The 18 credit hour Business of Medicine certificate is for physicians interested in improving day-to-day patient care operations. There are also the 18 credit hour Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Operational Excellence and the 15 credit hour Graduate Certificate in Medical Management.

The launch of the new Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health included creating three new Ph.D. programs: biostatistics, which leverages faculty expertise from mathematics, public health, and medicine; epidemiology, which focuses on how diseases spread; and health policy and management, which covers strategic decision making.

We also have two new doctoral programs in the School of Liberal Arts that have a health and life science focus.

The first is the Ph.D. in economics—with an emphasis on health economics. In addition to econometric theory, students explore such fields as biostatistics, epidemiology, bioethics, or health policy, giving them a background that will facilitate working on interdisciplinary problems, such as the economic factors in obesity and other diseases.

The second is our newest Ph.D.—health communication. As you may remember, both Sandra Petronio (my wife) and I are in communication studies. We have watched communication researchers make an increasingly important impact on health through their research.  In fact, Sandra’s theory of Communication Privacy Management has been applied to HIV/AIDS, the disclosure of medical mistakes, and physician-patient communication.  Given IUPUI’s interdisciplinary partnerships, we are a perfect place to prepare students to teach and do research in health and interpersonal relationships, intercultural health, and ethical issues in health care delivery. Students will also gain skills in understanding clinical problems affected by communication and develop the ability to translate research into practice. The program will be of interest to professionals currently in the health field who want an advanced degree, as well as those interested in an academic career in health communication research and practice.

With a new master’s degree programs in art therapy and a doctoral program in   health and rehabilitation sciences that addresses interdisciplinary research on how the body moves—and more than 130 other majors and programs already in place—IUPUI has truly become a driving force in the health and life sciences for central Indiana!

Published on: April 18, 2013

Confucius Institute in Indianapolis celebrates fifth anniversary

News Categories: Centers | News

Beginning April 22, the weeklong celebration includes three Chinese films, a reception, followed by student performances and a symposium, “China in Africa: A New Model of International Development?” co-sponsored by the institute and the Sagamore Institute.

The films will be shown at 5:45 p.m. in IUPUI’s Taylor Hall, 815 W. Michigan St. The films, which are free and open to the public, are “Painted Skin: The Resurrection," April 22; “Red Sorghum," April 23; and “The Treatment," April 25.

A nonpolitical and nonprofit organization, the institute was established at IUPUI through an agreement between the Office of Chinese Language Council International and IUPUI, in partnership with Sun Yat-Sen University in China. The Confucius Institute at IUPUI is one of about 90 institutes in the U.S. and 400 around the world.

The Confucius Institute at IUPUI facilitates mutual understanding between the people of China and the people of central Indiana by promoting Chinese language and culture, and it creates educational, business and community relationships, said Dr. Joe Xu, a professor of anatomy and cell biology at the IU School of Medicine and the founding director of the Confucius Institute at IUPUI.

“It’s important for people in Indiana to see and understand China, if only through the window provided by the Confucius Institute,” Xu said. “Helping people know each other reduces misunderstanding.”

Since it opened its doors, the Confucius Institute has engaged Indianapolis and central Indiana residents through numerous activities, including promoting business exchanges; facilitating government exchanges; teaching Chinese using a variety of methods, including multimedia and the Internet; training teachers to teach Chinese in primary schools, high schools and colleges; teaching Chinese courses of various types in a variety of arenas; sponsoring academic activities, cultural exchange programs and Chinese language competitions; and showcasing Chinese movies and television programming.

“Whoever wants to understand Chinese culture and language, we are there for them,” Xu said.

The institute has established three Confucius classrooms for students in grades K-8 or K-12: two in Indianapolis and one in Brownsburg. It offers summer study abroad programs in China for high school students, college students and the general public as well as a K-8 Chinese language and culture summer camp at IUPUI. One-on-one Chinese language and cultural tutoring are  also available at the institute, as are translation and interpretation services.

The Confucius Institute has helped establish or participated in a range of cultural activities in Indianapolis, including a Chinese Language and Cultural Fair, the Indy 500 Parade, Indianapolis Chinese Festival and Chinese New Year celebration.

The partnership with Sun Yat-Sen University, a top-ten university in China with strong programs in the humanities, social sciences, business, law and life sciences, has produced a number of exchange programs at IUPUI, including programs at the Kelley School of Business and the Schools of Education, Informatics, Liberal Arts, Medicine and Public and Environmental Affairs.

Published on: April 18, 2013

IUPUI hosts Italian Film Festival, April 13-May 18; Indianapolis 1 of 12 US cities to participate

News Categories: Event Announcements | World Languages and Cultures

An Italian Film Festival is taking place April 13-May 18 in Indianapolis with the sponsorship of the Italian program in the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. During the festival, two award-winning Italian films will be showcased each Saturday.

"2013 is the year of Italian culture in the USA," says Marta Anton, chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures. "The Department is proud to bring to the IUPUI campus and to the city of Indianapolis the 2013 Italian Film Festival with some of the latest and best Italian movies, which will only be shown in 12 US cities."

All films will be presented with English subtitles and are free and open to the public.

The films will be shown at either the IUPUI Campus Center Theatre (420 University Boulevard) or the Indianapolis Public Library (Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.).

The schedule for the last three weekends of the Festival is as follows:

Saturday, April 20, IUPUI Campus Center Theatre
L’Industiale (The Entrepreneur), 3 pm
Il Giorno in Più (One Day More), 6 pm

Saturday, April 27, IUPUI Campus Center Theatre
Nessuno mi può giudicare (Escort in Love), 3 pm
Immaturi- il Viaggio (The Immature: The Trip), 6 pm

Saturday, May 18, Indianapolis Public Library (Central Library)
Tormenti (Torment), 12:30 pm
È Stato il Figlio (It Was the Son), 3 pm

Films shown on the first Saturday, April 13th, were La Nave Dolce (The Human Cargo) and Terraferma.

Anton said, "The Italian Film Festival is a wonderful opportunity for our students and the Indianapolis community to experience Italian culture right on our campus and in our city. Many thanks to Professor Cristiana Thielmann, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura of Chicago, the Indianapolis Public Library, the Italian Heritage Society of Indiana, Indianapolis Sister Cities International, and individual sponsors for making the event possible."

For more information, please contact Professor Cristiana Thielmann. Additional information about the film festival and films is also available at the event website.

Published on: April 16, 2013

In the News - March 2013

News Categories: Anthropology | Geography | History | Religious Studies

Experts from Liberal Arts departments and centers are regularly cited in the local, national, and international media. A selection from online sources provides a sampling of the types of issues and kinds of research Liberal Arts faculty are called upon to talk about in the public sphere. Also included is general Liberal Arts news covered by the media.

A Book Doctor in Dallas Patches up Well-Loved Bibles
New York Times, March 29, 2013
Candice McKay is a book doctor in Dallas, meaning she patches up old books with new binding. One of the most popular books she works on is the old family Bible that are rich in family history. Peter Thuesen, Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, is interviewed for the article about the significance of family Bibles and the documentation within. [Article]

Mormons increasingly drawn to Holy Week rituals
Salt Lake Tribune, March 8, 2013
Many Mormons are turning towards Holy Week rituals such as Palm Sunday and Good Friday, saying the experiences mean more to them rather than just hearing about the stories that are being celebrated. Professor Emerita of History and Religious Studies Jan Shipps spoke with the Salt Lake Tribune about "creeping ecumenism" and how others are reaching out to Catholic rituals. [Article]

IUPUI to Lead Team Investigating Ancient Coins in Australia
Indiana Public Media, March 4, 2013
Ian McIntosh, adjunct professor of Anthropology, is hoping to solve the mystery of how 1,000-year-old coins ended up on a Northern Australia beach. An Australian Geographic Society grant will allow the anthropologist to lead a small team to study the area where the coins were discovered by an Australian solider in 1944. Some of the coins have been identified as coming from the Dutch East India Company and Africa. [Article] [IUPUI anthropologist to lead team to Australia] [IUPUI anthropologist to lead team to Australia for ancient coin expedition]

We’re not as big as we think, but that’s OK
Indianapolis Star, March 1, 2013
"By any common-sense measure, Indianapolis is not the 12th most populous city in America," writes Religious Studies professor Art Farnsley, in response to the recent Indianapolis Star piece "Why you can’t see a good indie flick in Indy," which states Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the country. Farnsley explains "Indianapolis is in fact the 12th largest "incorporated area" in America. Unfortunately, "incorporated area" is not a useful way to think about cities. As the name says, this category has mostly to do with how city limits are drawn." [Article]

Published on: April 15, 2013

First Liberal Arts RISE Scholarship created by Dean Blomquist

News Categories: Civic Engagement | Faculty and Staff | International | News | Political Science | Research

A commitment from William Blomquist, dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts and professor of political science, will endow the School’s first RISE scholarship for Liberal Arts majors who enroll in classes with the RISE designation. The IUPUI RISE initiative challenges undergraduates to incorporate research, international studies, service, or experiential learning into their degree programs.

Fewer know better than Dean Blomquist the importance of complementary out-of-class experiences for IUPUI students.  Not only do such programs make graduates more competitive on the job market, they also provide students with priceless academic and personal experiences that will carry with them throughout life.

 "For many students, pursuing these opportunities stretches their financial resources," explains Blomquist. "The opportunities either cost money directly (for instance, studying overseas) or indirectly by requiring students to fit them into an already busy schedule, possibly by working few hours and therefore earning less money for school.  A RISE scholarship is a way to make this trade-off a little easier for one of our students each year."

Blomquist created the new scholarship as part of the 2013 IUPUI Campus Campaign, which provides opportunities for faculty and staff to give to the university, and is making the gift through payroll deduction over the next several years. 

The School of Liberal Arts Dean’s RISE Scholarship, so named by Blomquist to honor his predecessors in the deanship, will become available to students after 2018.  Once funded, the Liberal Arts Dean’s RISE Scholarship will also receive matching funds from the university as part of the Impact: Campaign for IUPUI, a seven-year comprehensive campaign which is now in its closing months, enhancing the amount that scholarship recipients will receive.

"These RISE experiences are what we call ‘high-impact practices,’" says Blomquist. "Research on students’ persistence toward graduation, completion of a degree, extent of intellectual and personal growth, and reported satisfaction with their educational experience indicates that students who engage in one or more of these activities succeed at a higher rate than comparable students who do not. That alone would be a good reason to support RISE. In addition, many employers report that they prefer graduates who have had experiences beyond the classroom as part of their undergraduate education."

Blomquist, who has been a faculty member in the School of Liberal Arts since 1987, reflects, "I’m happy to be able to do this at this point in my long association with the School, and that future Liberal Arts students will be able to benefit from it."

Photo: Dean Blomquist (center, back) celebrates the creation of the new scholarship with members of the Liberal Arts Dean’s Office.

Published on: April 10, 2013

Indiana geography buffs will compete in second round of National Geographic Bee at IUPUI

News Categories: Centers | Event Announcements | Geography

On Friday, April 5, young geography buffs across the United States and U.S. territories will participate in state-level Geographic Bees, competing for a spot in the 25th annual National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

The Indiana Geographic Bee will take place on the IUPUI campus at Lecture Hall, 325 University Blvd. Preliminary rounds begin at noon. The final round, open to the public, begins at 2:15 p.m.

The state winner will receive $100, “The Complete National Geographic” on DVD and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national finals May 20 to 22 and the chance to be crowned the National Geographic Bee champion.

First prize in the national competition is a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers receive $15,000 and $10,000 college scholarships, respectively. Additionally, the national winner will travel (with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos Islands for an expedition featuring up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscapes of the islands.

Organized by the National Geographic Society, the 2013 National Geographic Bee is sponsored by Google and Plum Creek. At the state level, the bee is also sponsored by the Lilly Endowment, IndianaView and the Indiana Geographic Information Officer.

The state bees are the second round of competition that began in November with contests in nearly 11,000 U.S. schools, in which millions of students participated.

The Indiana Geographic Bee is organized by the Geography Educators’ Network of Indiana, as part of the IU School of Liberal Arts, based at IUPUI. A complete listing of the 100 fourth- to eighth-grade Indiana Geographic Bee contestants is available online, along with other related news. 

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society and the 25th anniversary of the Geographic Bee.

“As we look to the future—and an exciting new age of exploration—our work of fostering young talent who will be the scientists, explorers and brightest minds of tomorrow is more important than ever,”  John Fahey, National Geographic Society chairman and CEO, said in a press release. “Through the National Geographic Bee and our other activities, we hope to encourage a lifelong passion for learning about the world and its many wonders, challenges and opportunities for exploration and discovery.”

Published on: April 03, 2013

Platers, Langsam, and Oswalt inducted into IU Presidents Circle

News Categories: Civic Engagement | Faculty and Staff | History

Gail and William Plater and Miriam Langsam and Jean Oswalt have been inducted into the Indiana University Presidents Circle in recognition for their contributions to Indiana University and IUPUI.

The Presidents Circle recognizes donors who have contributed $100,000 during their lifetimes to Indiana University. The 2012 ceremony, held last fall in Bloomington and presided over by IU President Michael A. McRobbie and IU Foundation President Gene Tempel, honored 161 donors who had given a combined $19.9 million.

During the event, each inductee is recognized for their support. Inductees receive the Presidents Circle Medallion and their names are added to a tribute wall in the Indiana Memorial Union.

The generosity of Gail and Bill Plater and Miriam Langsam and Jean Oswalt has profoundly affected the School of Liberal Arts and the opportunities it is able to provide for both students and faculty. The legacy of the two couples—both of which have deep ties to the university as former faculty, admiinstrators, and staff—will be felt long into the future.

Gail and Bill Plater

Gail and William Plater served IUPUI and Indiana University in numerous capacites for over 25 years. From 1983 to 1987, Bill Plater served as dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts before going on to serve as IUPUI’s Executive Vice Chancellor until 2005 when he took on a leadership role developing IUPUI’s international strategic partnerships. Gail, a founding member of the IU Foundation’s Indianapolis office, spent more than a decade on the senior leadership team for the IU School of Liberal Arts. As the Assistant Dean for Development and External Affairs, she shaped the school’s fundraising and communications strategy. Together, Gail and Bill created the Millennium Chair of the Liberal Arts, a faculty position to be held by a scholar with a commitment to civic engagement and innovation. They are advocates for the power of higher education, the value of the liberal arts, and the excellence of the university.

Miriam Langsam and Jean Oswalt

Miriam Langsam is a former associate dean for student affairs and professor emeritus of history in the IU School of Liberal Arts. Jean Oswalt is retired as staff counsel for Indiana’s Family and Social Services Agency and was previously a member of IUPUI’s Office of Adaptive Educational Services. Together they established the Langsam/Oswalt Summer Fellowship for Lecturers, an endowment which provides summer "sabbaticals" for full-time nontenure-track faculty, allowing them to take part in professional development activities. For students, Jean’s grandmother inspired them to create the Audrey Harshbarger Study Abroad Scholarship for undergraduates.

The Presidents Circle was created in 1992. Those honored within the Circle have donated a total of $3.1 billion to Indiana University.

Published on: April 03, 2013

New exhibit at IUPUI Cultural Arts Gallery highlights long and contested history of Guantánamo

News Categories: Anthropology | Event Announcements | History | Museum Studies

Developed by more than 100 students from IUPUI and 11 other universities, the exhibition, Why Guantánamo?,  explores GTMO’s history from the US occupation of Guantánamo Bay in 1898 to today’s debates about its future.

This traveling exhibition is a program of the Guantánamo Public Memory Project which seeks to build public awareness of the century-long history of the naval station. 

An opening day reception takes place from 6 to 7 p.m. at the gallery, located on the second floor of the IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Blvd.

In 2012, 21 IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI graduate students in the museum studies and public history programs created two panels for Why Guantánamo?  Students were responsible for researching, writing, and selecting the photographs for the panels.  Those in the Introduction to Museum Studies class produced the panel “Arts of Detention,” and students in the Guantánamo Project class produced the panel “Guantánamo Hits Home.” Students who helped develop these panels in the traveling exhibit will be on hand to talk to guests at the reception on April 10.

Following the reception, a lecture featuring Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven H. David and Indianapolis attorney Richard Kammen as speakers takes places place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 450A of the Campus Center. David and Kammen will discuss their experiences with post-9/11 Guantanamo detainees.

David was the chief defense counsel to the Office of Military Commissions from 2007-2010.  He oversaw the defense team for post-9/11 detainees in Guantánamo. Kammen is the civilian learned counsel responsible for defending Abd al-Rahim Hussein Mohammed Al-Nashiri. Al-Nashiri is accused of masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.

IU McKinney School of Law professor George Edwards will moderate the lecture.

Edwards, director of the law school’s program in international human rights law, was an expert witness in the Guantánamo Bay U.S. Military Commission case against Australian David Hicks. Edwards and his students also provided research assistance for the defense of Hicks and for Omar Khadr, a Canadian who was 15 years old when taken to Guantanamo Bay. 

Sponsors of the exhibit’s appearance at IUPUI include: the museum studies program, Museum Studies Club, the public history program, the history department, and the international studies program, all units of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

The IUPUI Cultural Arts Gallery is free and open to the public Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 7 p.m.

The lecture from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. has been approved for 1.5 hours of Continuing Legal Education credit – newly admitted attorneys may receive 1.5 hours of new lawyer CLE. Please sign-in with attorney numbers at the beginning of the lecture.  For information about Continuing Legal Education credits, please contact Danielle Sheff, danielle@shefflegal.com or 317.888.7002

Paid parking is available in the Vermont Street parking garage, which is connected to the IUPUI Campus Center.

For additional information, contact:

Liz Kryder-Reid, Director, Museum Studies Program, Associate Professor, Anthropology and Museum Studies, IUPUI

ekryderr@iupui.edu

317- 274-1406

Modupe Labode, Assistant Professor History and Museum Studies, IUPUI,

mlabode@iupui.edu

317-274-2839

Published on: March 28, 2013

Media Advisory: IU campuses will participate in statewide tornado drill Wednesday

News Categories: Campus News

Indiana University campuses will participate in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday, March 27, as part of Indiana’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 24 to 30.

Each campus will activate a tornado warning drill using IU-Notify, the university’s emergency notification system, between 10 and 10:30 a.m. (EDT) for the first test and between 7:15 and 7:45 p.m. for the second, both coinciding with the statewide drill. IU Northwest in Gary is in the Central Time Zone, so on that campus the drills will occur between 9 and 9:30 a.m. and between 6:15 and 6:45 p.m.

In the event of real severe weather conditions Wednesday, the drill will be postponed until Thursday, March 28, at the same times.

Test messages will be sent to IU faculty, staff and students across the state via email, text message (SMS), social media and campus cable TV. Additionally, notifications will post to public digital displays and websites.

All members of the IU community are expected to follow tornado procedures as if this were a real tornado warning by seeking shelter when notification is received, whether that is via sirens or IU-Notify alerts. An all clear alert will be sent.

This test of IU-Notify is part of "Operation Stormy Weather," a university campaign to raise awareness of preparedness and safety procedures during severe weather season. Additionally, it serves to encourage IU faculty, staff and students to visit IU-Notify to review, verify, update and add contact information to ensure that they will receive IU-Notify messages in the event of an emergency. To do so, they should log in to OneStart to confirm that contact information submitted previously is still correct.

Tornado safety guidelines:

         
• Know the location of your nearest shelter in advance.
         
• If in the warning area, seek shelter immediately in the nearest designated tornado-safe place.
         
• In university residence halls, follow building-specific tornado procedures posted on each floor.
         
• If no specific procedures are listed for the building you are in, stay away from windows and exterior doors. Generally, go to basements, interior hallways on the lower floors and small interior rooms on the lower floors.
         
• If in a vehicle, get out and seek shelter in a sturdy building. If a building is not available, lying flat in a depression such as a ditch or ravine offers some protection.
         
• Report injuries and damage on campus to the IU Police Department at 911 (9-911 will also work from an on-campus phone). If you’re off-campus, notify the IU Police Department on your campus. Also, notify your local Campus Facilities Services or Physical Plant Offices of damage and your departmental administrative office.
       

Additional information about "Operation Stormy Weather" is available through the IU News Room.

Published on: March 26, 2013

IUPUI Museum Studies program offers “roadshow” on caring for family heirlooms

News Categories: Anthropology | Event Announcements | Museum Studies

Few people have treasures in the attic that could command top dollar at the “Antique Roadshow.”

But almost everyone has family heirlooms with personal value making them worthy of preservation for future generations.

Why not fold your great-great grandparents’ marriage certificate four times and stuff it into a shoe box? Or how bad is it to hang a 1910 christening gown in the closet inside a plastic dry cleaning bag?

The museum studies program in the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University, in partnership with the IUPUI Museum Studies Club, is sponsoring a roadshow-type event to offer guidance on such issues.

The IUPUI Museum Studies Collections Care Fair will take place from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 6 at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, 500 W. Washington St.

The public is invited to bring in beloved heirlooms and meet with a professional conservator for one-on-one conversations on how to better store, care for, and preserve family treasures.  Participants should be able to carry objects into the fair safely. Over-sized objects will be discussed by appointment only. No guns or weapons are permitted.

“This really is a unique opportunity to get one-on-one advice from highly trained museum conservators,” said Holly Cusack-McVeigh, assistant professor of anthropology and museum studies at IUPUI.

IUPUI museum studies students will work alongside the professionals, Cusack-McVeigh said. The fair will allow the students as emerging museum professionals to share the specialized knowledge they have learned in class.

“This project embodies the museum studies program’s core values by encouraging civic engagement, applied learning, integration, collaboration, inclusion, and leadership,” Cusack-McVeigh said. “Objects carry the experience of meaning for all people everywhere.  Through community-wide events such as this comes a new understanding of this shared legacy and the responsibility that we all have in seeing our history into the future.”

Admission to the fair is free to all. Free parking is also available in the White River State Parking Garage.  Museum admission, required for entrance to museum galleries, is free to IUPUI staff, students and faculty with a Jag Tag.

For appointments, or additional information, contact Holly Cusack-McVeigh at hmcusack@iupui.edu.

We wish to thank our generous sponsors!

• Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities
• IUPUI Solution Center
• IUPUI Museum Studies Program
• IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI
• IUPUI Museum Studies Club
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
• Indianapolis Museum of Art
• Indiana State Museum
• Indiana Historical Society
• Collections Department, Conner Prairie Interactive History Park
• The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
• Minnetrista

Published on: March 22, 2013

IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute (IAHI) Announces Spring Events Lineup

News Categories: Centers

James Reeves, Author of the Road to Somewhere

James Reeves is a writer, designer, educator, and self-proclaimed motorist. Reeves, who attended the University of Michigan in the film and design program and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, has held many different occupations in his search for happiness in life (23 part time jobs to be exact). After graduating, he taught classes at the Pratt Institute and the Parson’s School of Design, developed a K-12 design program in Brooklyn, and also taught elementary, middle, and high school. Reeve’s most recent publication, The Road to Somewhere: An American Memoir, has been hailed by Andre Dubus III (author of House of Sand and Fog) as, "a tantalizing 21st century cross between James Agee’s Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, and he regards Reeves as a "new and important American voice." His book, which is based on his experiences as a trave ler across America and his search for a meaningful adult life, reveals an America that hides under the surface. James Reeves is currently a partner at the Civic Center in New Orleans, which is also where he currently resides. The Civic Center is a creative studio that was designed to aid in the retransformation of public spaces into creative, interactive places. For more information on Reeves, visit his website at http://bigamericannight.com/.

Free tickets available are at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5742477906. This event is co-sponsored by We Are City

Oliver Blank

Oliver Blank is a composer who currently resides in New Orleans, Louisiana. Blank builds what he terms "sound toys", creates public installations, and symphonic cinematic music. He is a partner at the Civic Center in New Orleans, where individuals strive to reconfigure public spaces into creative outlets for the arts and to give ordinary places a new sense of creativity and wonder. Blank is a graduate of Goldsmiths College’s Master of Music Programme. His compositions have been featured at London’s Design Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, the Tate Gallery, and Helsinki’s Taidehalli.  For more information, visit Oliver Blank’s website at http://mroliverblank.com. Free tickets are available athttp://www.eventbrite.com/event/5744291330. This event is co-sponsored by We Are City

Peter Bailey-Roller Skates to Ragtime: Americans and Americanisation in Victorian Britain

April 11, 2013, 7-8 pm
IUPUI Campus Center, CE 405 (Yale Pratt Meeting Room)

Peter Bailey is a historian, writer, and jazz musician.  An Emeritus Professor at the University of Manitoba, Bailey is currently based in Bloomington, Indiana.  His area of specialty is the social and cultural history of modern Britain, especially the history of the Victorian music hall, jazz, and stage.  He is the author of many articles and books including Leisure and Class in Victorian England, Popular Culture and Performance in the Victorian City, Music Hall: The Business of Pleasure. Free tickets are available at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5744403666

About the IAHI

Established in 2011, the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute supports campus-wide attainment of excellence in research and creative activity in arts and humanities. Its mission includes showcasing and promoting the major intellectual and scholarly contributions that IUPUI faculty members from across disciplines are making in the arts and humanities. The IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute supports individual faculty members, groups, and interdisciplinary teams in their pursuit of research and creative activity through grant programs and promoting educational experiences in the arts and humanities in academic curricula across campus. In addition, the IAHI serves as a liaison between IUPUI and the community, fostering ongoing partnerships and ventures that advance arts and humanities endeavors.

Follow the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute on Facebook, Twitter, or join our email list at www.iahi.iupui.edu. Questions can be directed to Dr. Jason M. Kelly (IAHI Director) at iahi@iupui.edu.

Published on: March 19, 2013

In the News - February 2013

News Categories: Anthropology | Centers | Event Announcements | English | Religious Studies

Experts from Liberal Arts departments and centers are regularly cited in the local, national, and international media. A selection from online sources provides a sampling of the types of issues and kinds of research Liberal Arts faculty are called upon to talk about in the public sphere. Also included is general Liberal Arts news covered by the media.

The Art of the Matter
WFYI Indianapolis, February 14, 2013
Associate Professor of English Drama Terri Bourus is interviewed by about IUPUI’s "Hoosier Bard" Project, a unique theatre company, linking the New Oxford Shakespeare editors, the Indianapolis performing arts community, and students and faculty at IUPUI. The interview begins at the 34:48 mark of the Feb. 14 edition. [Article]

After Richard III, can we find Genghis Khan
CNN, February 12, 2013
In the wake of the discovery of Richard III remains, Professor and Chair of the Anthropology Department Paul Mullins suggests other historical figures archaeologists should search for, such as Richard III’s nephews-Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Amelia Earhart, and Genghis Khan. Mullins writes "archaeologists share the popular curiosity about famous personalities and the larger stories their lives and mortal remains might tell." [Article]

Entrepreneur Scott Jones will chair Spirit & Place Festival
Indianapolis Star, February 6, 2013
Carmel-based entrepreneur Scott Jones, known for developing voicemail technology and for founding information outlet ChaCha, will serve as honorary chair for this year’s Spirit & Place Festival. Scheduled Nov. 1-10, Spirit & Place will focus on a theme of "risk." To cultivate risk-taking among community organizations, Spirit & Place is offering a $2,500 cash prize to one group that creates a festival program "most emblematic of the risk theme," according to a news release. [Article]

Religion and gun control: The possibilities for change
Association of Religion Data Archives, January 31, 2013
David Briggs looks at the difference between flea market dealers in Art Farnsley’s book Flea Market Jesus and finds one topic where they tend to agree: gun control. [Article]

Hallelujah, I’m A Bum
The American Interest, January 30, 2013
Patrick Berger responds to Art Farnsley’s article, "Flea Market Capitalists," writing "Flea markets are marginal businesses-literally dealing with bits and pieces of discarded merchandise. The businesses are generally operated by poor people who use its scanty profits to augment equally scanty income from other sources (many of them are on disability). Farnsley’s research into flea markets was conducted over several years in central and southern Indiana. He was not primarily interested in the economics of the business, but in the culture and religion of its entrepreneurs." [Article]

Published on: March 11, 2013

Students, campus and community leaders headline “TEDxIUPUI” event

News Categories: Campus News | Communication Studies | Event Announcements | Student Accomplishments

In the spirit of promoting ideas worth sharing, a dozen inspiring speakers will take to the stage at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis this month for a day-long event designed to motivate participants to engage in community service.

The IUPUI Graduate Communications Club will organize a TEDx event—TEDxIUPUI: Raising the Next Generation—beginning with registration and breakfast at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 22 at the Information Communication Technology Complex , 535 W. Michigan St., on the IUPUI campus.

TEDx events are independent and locally organized programs designed to give participants a TED-like experience. TED is a nonprofit organization that hosts annual national and international events to promote the sharing of world-changing ideas. At a TEDx event, videos, called TED Talks, and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion of ideas in a small group setting.

TEDxIUPUI is granting 12 people selected from auditions held in February a much sought-after platform to give speeches that not only motivate, but demand action from the audience. Undergraduates will speak alongside successful leaders, business professionals, and academics.  Topics for the day include community changes, technology hurdles, youth confidence, transportation, civic engagement, education, and global health. 

The first TEDxIUPUI speaker begins at 9 a.m. and the day concludes at 4:30 pm. In addition to the 12 Indiana speakers, the conference will also highlight three online videos that have received global attention. 

Presenters and presentations for the day-long event include:

•Cole Farrell - “Get on the Bus”
•Lindsay Manfredi – “Girls Rock! Learning to Raise Your Voice”
•Kathy Marrs - STEM Education
•Razi Nalim -“Urgent Low-Impact Energy for our Children to Live on a Cooler Earth in This Century”
•Vop Osili -“Fueled by the Impossible”
•John Parrish-Sprowl
•Jim Plew and Jon Nix -“Independent Thought and the Paradox of Lenses”
•Kristy Horn Sheeler -“Reframing Normal: Raising a Generation of Women in Politics”
•Beth St. Claire -"The Improviser’s Mindset"
•Reuben Vandeventer -“Data Overload:  Raising the Information Generation”
•Mitchell West -“The Nature of I”
•Alexander Williams – “Teaching how we know”

“What stands out about TEDxIUPUI is that it has been organized by students,” said William Blomquist, dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. “These IUPUI students, particularly the Graduate Communication Club, are demonstrating excellent leadership combined with a commitment to community service that is one of the marks of our school.”

TEDxIUPUI is being held during Communication Week, an annual series of spring events hosted by the Department of Communication Studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. Tickets are limited and go on sale at 11 a.m. on Friday (March 8), for $45 through the TEDxIUPUI website

Tickets to the event include breakfast, lunch, and a TEDxIUPUI T-shirt. A simulcast open to students, faculty and community members will take place at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 530 W. New York St.

For additional information about the IUPUI event, please contact co-organizer Lindsay Quandt.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the recently launched TED-Ed platform for students and educators, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED’s stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. Follow TED on Twitter or on Facebook.

Published on: March 08, 2013

IUPUI museum studies students to help preserve public and private collectibles

News Categories: Anthropology | Museum Studies

Students in the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis museum studies program, part of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, are conducting two community outreach events in Indianapolis to help promote better preservation and care of treasures found in both private and public collections.

On Wednesday (March 6) from 3 to 5:45 p. m., the students in the Preventive Conservation course at IUPUI are going to the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center, 6515 Delong Road, to clean the approximately 20 bird mounts on exhibit. The students will also answer questions and talk to the center visitors about the importance of caring for collections.

On Saturday, April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m., the IUPUI Collections Care Fair takes place at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, 500 W. Washington St. The public is invited to bring family heirloom pieces to the IUPUI Collections Care Fair in order to learn more about proper care and storage of these valued objects.  Museum studies students will work side by side with professionally trained conservators who have agreed to share time and expertise with students and the public.

For additional information, contact Holly Cusack-McVeigh, assistant professor of anthropology and museum studies at IUPUI, 317-274-1400 or email hmcusack@iupui.edu.

Published on: March 06, 2013

Plaster replicas of Parthenon frieze find second life at Herron

News Categories: Centers | Faculty and Staff | History

Plaster replicas of the running frieze created to adorn the most iconic symbol of classical antiquity are once again teaching tools and objets d’art for certain students and professors at Herron School of Art and Design, part of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus.

But this time around, second-generation casts of the frieze from Greece’s Parthenon are both a testimonial to the prominent role that Herron played in the training of past generations of professional artists, and a springboard to its multidisciplinary collaborations for future generations.

A 6-foot panel with the relief figures of running horses hangs as art on a wall in the office of Jason Kelly, director of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute. The plaster artwork is a scaled replica of a section of the 524-foot low-relief marble sculpture created between 443 and 438 B.C. for the Parthenon, a temple to the Greek goddess Athena.

The panel is one from several sets of plaster casts created last summer by Kelly, who teaches history in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI; Herron associate professor of art history Jennifer Lee; and then-Herron sculpture student Benjamin Sunderlin. The trio used rubber molds crafted in 2005 from now rare, early 20th-century casts. The exploratory summer project grew out of the partners’ common interests.

A search of the Herron archives reveals that in 1924, the Greek government gave eight life-size casts of Parthenon frieze panels to Herron, then a museum and professional art school under the name John Herron Art Institute. Herron in 1931 purchased 14 scaled plaster casts of sections of the frieze considered most desirable for teaching purposes, according to Kelly.

Herron acquired its “original” casts during the era when museums readily exhibited white plaster casts as stand-ins for genuine antiquities that were then hard to come by, and professional art schools used the plaster casts of the Parthenon sculptures, considered “models of ancient beauty,” as teaching tools for students of drawing.

Plaster Parthenon frieze casts played a prominent role in the history of art and art education over several centuries, beginning with the Renaissance, Lee said.

“Nearly all art schools owned casts of important classical sculptures, which were central to students’ training ,” Kelly said.

But with time, the use of live nude models became the norm for teaching human illustration, and the use of “fakes” or copies in museums was frowned upon. And the once popular and ubiquitous plaster casts of the Parthenon frieze became obsolete for both intended purposes.

“Most of the art schools just threw their (casts) out with the trash,” Kelly said. “It is actually hard to find full sets of these casts.”

Herron incorporated the obsolete casts into the décor of the walls of its original buildings on North Pennsylvania Street.

When the art school, then a part of Indiana University, made the move to its IUPUI home in Eskenazi Hall in 2005, a Herron student created a set of six rubber molds of the wall casts.
Soon Kelly plans to incorporate the casts into the curriculum for art history students who are studying ancient paintings and will paint the new casts in modern colors.

“I can’t wait to see how undergraduate students in drawing interpret the casts for modern audiences," Kelly said. The Parthenon project is a “great springboard for what we are going to see between IAHI and schools (at IUPUI) into the future.”

Published on: March 05, 2013

Reflections on the passing of Timothy McCormick (BA Political Science 2012)

News Categories: News | Political Science

The IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI mourns the death of Timothy McCormick (BA Political Science 2012) on Saturday, February 16th. He was killed in an accident while on duty as an Indianapolis EMT.

Tim was a December graduate who made a strong impression on his faculty and fellow students. Those who knew him are full of praise for the student and person he was. They speak of his positive world-view and engaging personality, his intellectual curiosity and bright mind, and his commitment to public service and to making the world a better place for us all. He was the embodiment of the kind of student that faculty hope to have in their classes and a wonderful example of the kind of person that makes our School the place it is. He will be missed and remembered.

Tim’s fellow EMT, Cody Medley, also died of his injuries Sunday morning.

Our sincere condolences go out to Tim and Cody’s families and friends and as well as to those in the Liberal Arts family who had the good fortune of knowing Tim during his time with us. You are in our thoughts.

Reflection of Scott Pegg, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science, IUPUI

I had Tim McCormick as a student in my POLS Y360 US Foreign Policy class last semester, one of the last classes he took before graduating from IUPUI in December 2012.  Tim was an incredible guy who really had the whole package.  He was smart, hard-working, enthusiastic, humble and firmly grounded with strong moral values.  In many ways, Tim was a perfect representation of an IUPUI student in that he had to work throughout his college career to help fund his education and managed to balance work, school, family and social commitments extremely well.  Tim’s life embodied civic engagement and the kind of engaged and thoughtful citizenship that a good Liberal Arts education can help cultivate.

In the semester that I had him as a student, Tim regularly worked 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM shifts as an EMT for the Indianapolis EMS/Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County and then came to campus on time and well prepared for my 9:00 AM class.  Working in high pressure time critical environments and interacting regularly with police, fire and other emergency responders obviously brought Tim a degree of maturity and poise that many other undergraduate students typically lack.

Although he was clearly a person of outstanding character, I was always struck by his modesty.  Even though we talked almost every day after class while walking back to Cavanaugh Hall, I never knew he was an Eagle Scout or that he had received a citation of meritorious service for his work on August 4, 2011 during the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fairgrounds until I asked him to send a resume so I could draft a better letter of reference for him.  Similarly, I never knew about his poignant and inspirational video clip on YouTube until after he had died.

Tim was wise and mature well beyond his years and he brought joy, passion and an infectiously positive attitude to everything he did.  It was an honor to have him as a student and the Department of Political Science is honored to count him as one of our most distinguished alumni.  Our heartfelt sympathies go out to all his family members, his Emergency Services family members and his IUPUI family members.  We are all richer and better for having shared some time with Tim.

Reflection of Amanda Friesen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, IUPUI

I had the privilege of getting to know Tim in the senior seminar course during his last semester at IUPUI. Tim was very bright, engaging and thoughtful and contributed his full effort to academics, even on top of all of the other activities, public service work and volunteering in which he participated. Tim’s positive energy and ambitious outlook were beacons that drew in others; he was just an all-around, quality human being that I feel honored to have known. He will be missed.

Statement of IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz on Timothy McCormick

We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our recent graduates, Timothy McCormick. Timothy was involved in a fatal ambulance crash early Saturday morning at the intersection of St. Clair and Senate streets.

Timothy received a BA in political science from the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI in December 2012. He had earned the respect of faculty, staff and classmates for his dedication to his studies and to his work as a paramedic.

To assist those with whom he was close, we offer JagsCARE,a team of individuals who provide for the emotional and psychological needs of individuals in the IUPUI community who have suffered the effects of a traumatic event.

On behalf of the entire IUPUI community, I express our deepest sympathies to Timothy’s family and friends for the loss of this promising young man. Our hearts go out to you.

Charles R. Bantz, IUPUI Chancellor

Published on: February 20, 2013

Stage provides backdrop for New Oxford Shakespeare editing decisions

News Categories: Centers | Event Announcements | English | Faculty and Staff

Terri Bourus isn’t so different from any other theater director, carefully considering how her actors are embodying their characters or how costumes might help audiences draw meaning.

Underneath all that, though, she’s on a secret mission.

As director and general editor of IUPUI’s New Oxford Shakespeare project, Bourus is one of three editors worldwide commissioned by Oxford University Press to make big decisions about what will be included in a new, multiplatform edition of Shakespeare’s works. And those decisions, she argues, cannot be made without seeing the Bard’s work on stage.

Indianapolis-based actor Lauren Briggeman will appear as Isabella in “Measure for Measure.”

“The New Oxford Shakespeare is a research project as well as an editing project and, in order to work out our research theories, we need a practical application. That’s where the stage comes in,” she said. “The stage operates as a kind of laboratory, a place where we can experiment.”

Bourus, an associate professor of English drama at IUPUI, created Hoosier Bard Productions to augment her editorial analysis. The group staged “Young Hamlet” in 2011 and last year hosted the premiere of “The History of Cardenio.” The so-called “lost” play was painstakingly recreated by Shakespeare scholar Gary Taylor, which drew the attention of the BBC and was the focus of a documentary by WFYI.

Such theatrical experiments help address questions such as what to include when all three authoritative versions of “Hamlet” are different, Bourus explained, or how to address the questions that swirl around the authorship of “Cardenio,” which was apparently written by Shakespeare with a collaborator but only survived in fragments before last year’s re-creation.

“We keep good academic track of what’s happening in these different versions, which will affect our editorial choices and things like what we write in our introductions,” Bourus said. “We want to cross over, for theater and academia to have an exciting intercourse that generally only happens infrequently.”

In its latest endeavor, Hoosier Bard Productions will perform “Measure for Measure” at the Indianapolis-based IndyFringe Basile Theater on Feb. 21 to 23 and Feb. 28 to March 2.

And, of course, there’s a twist. Two versions of the play exist — Shakespeare wrote a lighter version that’s set in peacetime Italy, while Thomas Middleton’s more familiar 1621 adaptation is darker and is set in wartime Austria.

Hoosier Bard Productions will perform them both, offering Shakespeare’s version the first weekend and Middleton’s version the second weekend.

“The way we’re staging this, as far as we know, it’s the first time it’s been done,” Bourus said. “With ‘Measure for Measure’ we usually always see conflated text or the Middleton version set in Vienna, and nobody ever sees the Shakespearian version. We only do one production a year, so we’re very careful about selecting something unique that’s based on academic and editorial research.”

For additional details about the show or to purchase tickets, visit IUPUI’s event site.

Published on: February 18, 2013

Competition rewards IUPUI students’ innovative solutions to pressing social, economic ills

News Categories: Event Announcements | Economics

The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research will host the second annual “pitch” competition that rewards IUPUI students for innovative solutions to what ails society.

The 2013 Ideas Solving Social and Economic Challenges competition takes place from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the IUPUI Campus Center Theater, 420 University Blvd.

The competition challenges IUPUI students—individuals or teams—to propose original, even groundbreaking solutions to pressing social and economic issues facing Indiana, the nation and the world, presenting cash awards for the most innovative ideas. Competition judges will award prizes of $2,500, $1,000 and $500, respectively, for the first-, second- and third-place winners.

The emphasis of the competition is on providing answers to real-world problems through new approaches, products, services or ventures. Contestants have three minutes to pitch their proposals to judges without the use of slides or other props.

The time constraint of the competition’s “elevator pitch” format challenges the competitors to present their ideas in a concise and persuasive manner. This provides participants with invaluable experience in a fundamental skill for professional success: presenting a pitch in a short but effective format to a potential investor, partner or supporter at a moment’s notice.

The event is open to the public with registration online. Audience members will also have a chance to cast a ballot for their favorite idea or team in an “Audience Choice” category. The “audience choice” winner will receive $1,000.

For more information, contact Karen White at kfwhite@iupui.edu or 317-274-1083.

Published on: February 13, 2013

Call for Nominations: Liberal Arts Alumni Association Awards - Due 2/26

News Categories: Alumni Accomplishments | Opportunities

The IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI Alumni Association invites nominations for the 2013 Liberal Arts Alumni Awards.

The Indiana University School of Liberal Arts Alumni Association annually recognizes alumni, friends, and faculty who have brought distinction upon themselves, their profession, and the IU School of Liberal Arts in three separate categories: Honorary Alumnus Award: the Early Career Achievement Award; and the highest distinction awarded by the Alumni Association, the Distinguished Alumni Award.  For the purpose of the second two awards, an alumnus is defined as any graduate of the School of Liberal Arts; for the first alumni status is not required.
 
Award recipients will be recognized during events staged by the School of Liberal Arts and its Alumni Association.  Recipients must be in attendance to receive their honor.
 
Honorary Alumnus Award
This award is presented to a non-alumna/alumnus of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, in recognition of outstanding contributions of time, leadership, and service, and their dedicated efforts to bring greater recognition to liberal arts, and/or the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts.
 
Early Career Achievement Award
This annual recognition is for outstanding accomplishments in a profession or for service to the School/university by alumni who have graduated within 15 years of the nomination. All graduates within the past 15 years are eligible for this award.
 
Distinguished Alumni Award
Awarded annually, this award recognizes outstanding alumni of the School who have brought honor to their alma mater by distinguishing themselves either professionally or by giving extraordinary service to the School/university. All graduates are eligible for this award.
The IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI Alumni Association invites nominations for the 2013 Liberal Arts Alumni Awards.

Deadline for 2013 nominations - Tuesday February 26, 2013
 
How To Nominate
 
It is helpful but not mandatory for the nominating committee to have the following materials:
·         The IU School of Liberal Arts Alumni Association Award Cover Page.
·         At least two letters of nomination from colleagues, department chairs, co-workers, or others with specific knowledge on the candidate’s credentials;
·         The nominee’s vitae or resume, as appropriate;
·         Any additional supporting documents the nominator deems important to demonstrate the nominee’s credentials for the selected award.
 
Since these awards recognize alumni and friends who have brought honor to their alma mater through distinguished career service, achievement, and/or extraordinary service to the IU School of Liberal Arts, please include specific examples of the nominee’s achievements, including any service by the nominee on boards, committees, and organizations at the department, school, campus, university, state, or national level as part of the nomination packet .
 
Nominations will be accepted until Tuesday, February 26, 2013. Each nominee requires a separate form. Download the form here - [PDF] or [DOC]. See a list of past recipients or access the forms on the Award website
 
Questions? Contact Alumni Director Stefan Davis at (317) 274-2317, (866) 267-3104, or email ssdavis@iupui.edu
 
Nominations are accepted by mail, fax, or email to:
 
IUPUI Alumni Relations - Liberal Arts Alumni Awards
c/o Stefan Davis, Director
340 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Fax: (317) 274-5064           Email: ssdavis@iupui.edu
 
The Indiana University School of Liberal Arts Alumni Association is a dues supported group of the IU Alumni Association.  Join online today at http://alumni.iu.edu/memembership.  Convenient payroll deduction is available for faculty and staff who work for Indiana University. Membership status in the IUAA does not affect the outcome of the awards process.

Published on: February 12, 2013

Osili named to “Forty Under 40” list

News Categories: Economics | Faculty and Staff | Philanthropic Studies

Una Osili, director of research at the Indiana University School of Philanthropy and Professor of Economics in the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, is being hailed by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one of “Forty Under 40” young professionals to watch.

Honorees are selected based on the level of success the person has achieved in his or her chosen field and accomplishments in the community.

The publication calls Osili a “renowned researcher on philanthropic trends,” citing her leadership of the School of Philanthropy’s research program and premier research projects that offer information and insights that help nonprofit leaders and donors be more effective. These include the Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Giving, the Million Dollar List and the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study, as well as Giving USA, which the school researches and writes on behalf of Giving USA Foundation.

“Una is one of the world’s leading philanthropy scholars,” said Gene Tempel, dean of the School of Philanthropy. “She and her team produce groundbreaking research that is the cornerstone of our school’s contributions to society. It enables us to provide donors, nonprofits, policy makers and the public with new knowledge so they can make meaningful change in lives and communities.”

A global perspective and an interest in international research are an inherent part of Osili’s achievements. She was born in New York and grew up in Nigeria. Her research focus includes the charitable giving habits of immigrants as well as international comparisons of giving in various countries, and she is a founder of the Immigrant Welcome Center in Indianapolis, which helps people settle into the community.

“I am honored to be in the company of so many outstanding community leaders,” Osili said. “It is a privilege to collaborate with exceptional colleagues at IUPUI, at IU and around the world to help make a difference.”

Osili is a consultant with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and previously worked for the World Bank in Washington, D.C. In 2007, she was appointed a fellow of the Networks Financial Institute and served as a visiting associate professor of economics at Yale University.

“Una has already helped to significantly advance both knowledge and practice of philanthropy at home and around the world,” said Patrick M. Rooney, associate dean for academic affairs and research at the School of Philanthropy. “Her remarkable abilities and her dedication to philanthropy and the nonprofit sector are impressive, and we congratulate her on this very appropriate recognition of her work.”

Osili earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and her master’s and doctorate degrees in economics at Northwestern University.

An article about Osili’s accomplishments and a video interview can be viewed on the IBJ’s website.

Published on: February 06, 2013

Alison Bechdel to be featured in Rufus & Louis Reiberg Reading Series

News Categories: Event Announcements | English | Women's Studies

The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Arts and Humanities Institute Lecture Series and the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI Rufus & Louis Reiberg Reading Series are co-hosting a lecture featuring nationally acclaimed cartoonist/writer and LGBT advocate Alison Bechdel. Bechdel’s presentation takes place Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., in the Dean and Barbara White Auditorium at the Indiana State Museum.

Bechdel is best known for the long running comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For,” a landmark work published over 20 years.  In 2006, she published “Fun Home,” which Time magazine called a “stunning memoir” and named the best book of the year.

Bechdel’s “Are you My Mother?” was published last year to positive reviews.  Jonathan Safran Foer, author of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” and “Everything is Illuminated” called the book "a work of the most humane kind of genius, bravely going right to the heart of things: why we are who we are. It’s also incredibly funny. And visually stunning. And page-turningly addictive. And heartbreaking.”

“We are thrilled to host Alison Bechdel at IUPUI,” said Jason M. Kelly, director of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute. “Her groundbreaking work is funny, personal, political and engaging.  She is an artist and writer who speaks to some of life’s most profound questions and is sure to enthrall the audience.”

This event is free and open to the public.  Tickets are required.

For tickets and additional information, visit http://www.iupui.edu/~iahi.

Published on: February 04, 2013

FBI Agent Visits IUPUI Museum Studies Class

News Categories: Anthropology | Campus News | General News | Museum Studies

Henri Matisse’s painting, "Le Jardin," is coming home. Stolen in 1987 from Sweden’s Moderna Museet, the lost art work has finally been recovered thanks to The Art Loss Register, an international database that monitors missing artwork.

Art crime isn’t just an issue for international museums. "It is important for future museum professionals to understand the nature of theft in our country and how to identify potential threats to museum collections," said Holly Cusack-McVeigh, assistant professor of anthropology and museum studies at the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

 The IUPUI Museum Studies course Collections Care and Management (MSTD A516) focuses on collections management and physical care of museum collections. As part of a larger discussion of risk management, FBI Agent Carpenter from the Art Crime Team was invited to talk about art crime.

Carpenter is part of an FBI rapid deployment Art Crime Team established in 2004. The team is composed of 14 special agents, each responsible for addressing art and cultural property crime cases in an assigned geographic region. The Art Crime Team is coordinated through the FBI’s Art Theft Program, located at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Art Crime Team agents receive specialized training in art and cultural property investigations and assist in art related investigations worldwide in cooperation with foreign law enforcement officials and FBI legal attaché offices. 

Agent Carpenter’s visit emphasized how focusing on collection management and documentation can help law enforcement if a theft occurs. Those issues were key aspects of the students’ study during the fall 2012 class. "One of his most important messages to these future museum professionals was to "inventory, inventory, inventory your collections!" said Cusack-McVeigh. "All too often museum records are incomplete or outdated. This lack of good record keeping can hinder investigations and ultimately, keep the FBI from recovering lost works of art and objects of antiquity."

"Art theft in the U.S. is less about car chases and more about due diligence," explained student Kelby Dolan.

During the semester, students learned about the many different roles such as registrars, collections managers, and archivists whose work support the documentation and care of a museum collection. The class also provided students with knowledge of the types of museum collections and the ability to integrate and apply knowledge of current best practices in collections management and care. These goals were accomplished through assignments such as interviewing or shadowing a curator, collection manager or registrar, evaluating collection policies, and writing a grant proposal.

"Also of concern to the class were issues of risk management such as insurance, disaster planning, security, fire and water protection, pest management, and ethical and legal issues-issues such as a missing Matisse painting and the need for FBI assistance," said Cusack-McVeigh.

Agent Carpenter concluded by stating, "If it looks too good to be true…it is. The art market is a ‘buyer beware’ market. Exercising good judgment and doing one’s due diligence in investigating a piece’s provenance can save one embarrassment and money."

"It’s important to raise public awareness about this pervasive international criminal industry, which is widely believed to be the 3rd or 4th most lucrative criminal industry in the world, resulting in an estimated $6 billion in losses annually," he said. "These are not just simple property crimes.  In many cases, it is the theft of a national heritage; of a people’s cultural history."

Photo (right): Sourced from Art Loss Register - http://www.artloss.com/news/stolen-matisse-painting-recovered

Published on: February 04, 2013

2013 “It Takes a City” Taylor Symposium explores creating a diverse, humane community

News Categories: Africana Studies | Campus News | Centers | Civic Engagement | Event Announcements | Philosophy | Sociology

Exploring strategies to prevent bullying and encourage tolerance and respect is just one of the topics for discussion as Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis presents the 24th annual Joseph T. Taylor Symposium.

The 2013 symposium takes place from 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, at the IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Blvd. The theme is “It Takes a City: Toward a Diverse and Humane Community.”

The symposium also focuses on the use of art, architecture, city planning and the Internet to bridge ethnic, religious, professional and lifestyle differences in order to bring back a sense of community in cities in an age of hyper-individualism. Speakers from IUPUI, Indiana University Bloomington, Butler University, Ball State University and Purdue University will participate in the event. Representatives of Big Car Art & Design, the Indianapolis Urban League and the Bully Prevention Alliance will also be part of the day’s sessions.

Educator and civil rights and gay liberation activist Gaye Todd Adegbalola will address the symposium theme during her musical-performance-based keynote presentation at the symposium luncheon. Adegbalola, a celebrated singer and musician, strives to provide a voice for those marginalized by society. The luncheon also includes the presentation of the Joseph T. Taylor Excellence in Diversity Awards.

The annual symposium honors Joseph T. Taylor, the first dean of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. Taylor is remembered for his commitment to dialogue and diversity.  The Excellence in Diversity awards acknowledge individuals, projects, programs and groups that exemplify Taylor’s commitment to diversity and dialogue.

“Each year’s Taylor Symposium provides an opportunity to think about and discuss matters of importance to our city and all cities,” said William Blomquist, dean of the School of Liberal Arts. “How to promote and sustain the benefits we gain from our diversity and weave them into a stronger fabric of community is an ideal example of a vital topic for Indianapolis and elsewhere.”

Before the luncheon, a poster session featuring research and information on building community in Indianapolis will take place from 11:15 a.m. to noon in Room 405 of the Campus Center.

The School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI sponsors the annual Taylor Symposium. The 2013 symposium, presented in conjunction with the Department of Philosophy, part of the School of Liberal Arts, and the IUPUI Center for Service and Learning, is part of Indianapolis’ IndyTalks Series, a citywide effort to foster a sense of community through respectful and creative civic dialogue.

Symposium sessions are free of charge and open to the public. Individual luncheon tickets are $35 if registration is made by the Feb. 5 early bird deadline, or $40 after Feb. 5. All luncheon seating is reserved with payment. Corporate or community patron tables for 10 may also be reserved for $550.

For additional details or to register, visit the School of Liberal Arts website.

Published on: January 28, 2013

Symposium at IUPUI addresses ‘civic controversy’ over art, race and public spaces

News Categories: Anthropology | Event Announcements | Faculty and Staff | Museum Studies

The artist whose vision for a public monument to African American emancipation sparked a “civic controversy” will re-start the conversation as the opening speaker for a daylong discussion on art, race and public spaces.

The Art, Race, Space Symposium takes place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Campus Center, 420 University Blvd.

Artist Fred Wilson is one of several artists and scholars from around the country who will join leaders from Indianapolis’ arts and culture sector at IUPUI to explore how public responses to sculptures, memorials and archaeology reveal tensions concerning race and inequality in society.

Organizers say the symposium, presented by the Museum Studies Program in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI and supported by a grant from the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute,  emerged out of the necessity to revisit Wilson’s “E Pluribus Unum,” a proposed sculpture for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. The project was canceled in 2011 because of controversy surrounding Wilson’s appropriation of a freed slave figure from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis.

“The civic controversy sparked by ‘E Pluribus Unum’ included many topics of concern to historians: contemporary understandings of slavery; the relevance of our nation’s difficult racial past to the present; the negotiations or allowances that citizens make for those with competing views; (and) the continuing importance of civic symbols and monuments,” wrote symposium moderator Modupe Labode, public scholar of African American history and museums at IUPUI.

Those who followed or participated in discussions found the experiences “variously invigorating, bruising or disorienting,” Labode said in “Unsafe Ideas, Public Art, and ‘E Pluribus Unum’: An interview with Fred Wilson,” an article published in the December 2012 issue of Indiana Magazine of History.

In Session I of the symposium, Wilson will discuss “Inspirations: Musing on What Monuments, Memorials, Public Art, and Public Space Inspire Me,” at 8:45 a.m. Mindy Taylor Ross, curator and public art project manager for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, will discuss the “Selection and Outreach Process,” and Indianapolis Radio One talk show host Amos Brown will present “Community Viewpoints.”

Other symposium speakers include:

Renee Ater, associate professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at the University of Maryland. Ater, author of “Keith Morrison, the David C. Driskell Series of African American Art, Vol. 5,” who will present “Communities in Conflict: Memorializing Martin Luther King Jr. in Rocky Mount, North Carolina."

Paul Mullins, chair of the Department of Anthropology at IUPUI, who will present “Racializing the City: An Archaeology of Urban Renewal and Black Indianapolis.”

Dell Upton, professor of architectural history in the Department of Art History at the University of California Los Angeles. Upton, whose research interests focus on the landscapes of African-American urbanism in 20th-century Los Angeles and the American South, will present “Critical Urban Spatial History.”

The symposium is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Registration is available online. For additional information and to register, visit the symposium website.

Published on: January 20, 2013

Curfman Recognized with Schultheis Award for Outstanding Staff

News Categories: English | Faculty and Staff

Melanie Curfman, secretary in the English Department/English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Program, was awarded the Don Schultheis Award for Outstanding Staff Members for her service at the annual Liberal Arts Staff Appreciation Luncheon on November 15th.  An IUPUI employee for more than 13 years, Curfman’s colleagues acknowledged her hard work and her willingness to take on new tasks and duties in their letters of nomination.

In the past year Curfman helped coordinate faculty and post-doc position searches for multiple openings, managing over 200 applications. The process included regular communication with applicants and extensive travel and meeting planning.  

"It goes without saying that professionally supporting, with calm and complete competence, six different searches on top of regular duties goes well beyond all expectations," said Thom Upton, English department chair, and Estela Ene, director of the English for Academic Purposes program.

Curfman also played an important role in the New Oxford Shakespeare’s The History of Cardenio performance, helping with prop purchasing and arranging travel for guest speakers from around the world.

Curfman’s day-to-day tasks are extremely varied and include processing EAP placement exams as well as hiring documents for part-time faculty and student employees. When a co-worker took ill for several weeks, she willingly and capably stepped up to help the English department cover the workload.

"Melanie does [these tasks] with an exceptionally calm and friendly attitude even at the busiest of times," said Upton and Ene.

The Award is named in honor of Don Schultheis, the School of Liberal Arts’ first fiscal officer.

Published on: January 16, 2013

IUPUI Chapter of Tau Sigma National Honor Society inducts inaugural class

News Categories: General News

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis now has an honor society for transfer students.

The IUPUI Chapter of Tau Sigma National Honor Society established itself as a campus organization with the inaugural induction of its first 30 members in December.

Tau Sigma National Honor Society is a national academic honor society designed specifically to recognize and promote the academic excellence and involvement of transfer students. Members who have chosen to be part of Tau Sigma are students who have transferred to IUPUI having completed at least one semester at their previous university and earned at least a 3.5 GPA.

“This National Honor Society is specifically for transfer students, allowing them to be recognized for their success in transitioning to IUPUI from other institutions," said University College Dean Kathy Elizabeth Johnson.

This group provides students the opportunity to learn about meaningful involvement opportunities and professional development, and to connect with other successful transfer students.

“Ideally, this organization will be a place for people to find successful transfer students and leaders for campus opportunities as well as aid in the creation of a transfer receptive culture at IUPUI,” Johnson said.

A number of guests, faculty and staff attended the induction ceremony, demonstrating their support of the students’ accomplishments and the choice they had made in joining.
The program featured a brief message of encouragement by Mary Fisher, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. Fisher emphasized the importance of the students’ commitment to both IUPUI and Tau Sigma and reiterated the importance of success and engagement both in and out of the classroom.

For additional information about Tau Sigma, contact Harriett Bennett at 317-274-5036 or email hbennett@iupui.edu.

Published on: January 08, 2013

IUPUI professor’s new book underscores Internet’s negative impact on organized religion

News Categories: Faculty and Staff | Religious Studies | Sociology

Religious groups aren’t capturing the hearts of the millennial generation, and the Internet is partly to blame, says the author on a new book on building strong religious communities.

As part of her research for writing “Building Strong Church Communities: A Sociological Overview,” Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis professor Patricia Wittberg examined nearly 700 surveys of Catholic parishes completed by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

Some of the questions Wittberg’s book asks include: How close do Catholics feel to their parish community and how close do they want to feel? How has the parish role changed throughout history? What kind of community connections do Catholics want from their religious order? When is community connectedness both beneficial and not beneficial for a parish?

The youngest generational cohort of adults studied—the millennials—were the least attached to organized religion, said Wittberg, who teaches sociology in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

“Over 33 percent of them claim no affiliation, the highest percentage for well over 100 years,” the sociologist said.

Wittberg’s research is the first to compare the 700 surveys. While her data set had no new information on reasons for the decline, the sociologist uncovered several interesting previous studies on how the Internet is eroding both the authority of established religious leaders and the permanence of religious communities.

“Some of this (lack of affiliation) is due to the individualizing experience of accessing religion and spirituality via the Internet,” Wittberg said. “On the Internet, seekers can pick and choose what kinds of doctrines appeal to them— with little or no consideration of the official teachings of any church—and they can join and leave religious online ‘communities’ much more easily.”

The implications don’t bode well for the future of religious groups, the author said.

“I believe that the survival and health of religious groups, including church congregations, requires that the next generations become members,” she said. “So far, there is little to attract them.”

In some of her background research, the sociologist discovered that the idea of improving church communities as communities was a fairly new one. It’s easy to find books that help individuals better understand and grow in their religious worship, but books that focus on religious community are bit harder to come by, according to the IUPUI professor.

“In the past, Catholic as well as Protestant pastoral books, journal articles, workshops, etc.  have focused on the spiritual needs of the individual,” Wittberg said. “Little has been done to develop a similar repertoire that would help them look at the needs of religious groups.”

Wittberg’s aim is for her work to help religious groups thrive and grow and be healthy for their members.

Wittberg was inspired to tackle the project when she realized how few church people were aware of the extensive literature and research about community since Robert Putnam’s 2000 book, “Bowling Alone,” which problematized whether and to what extent the sense of community was being lost in the United States and if that was a good or bad thing. “I believed that the findings of this research could benefit church communities,” she said.

Published on: January 07, 2013

In the News - November 2012

News Categories: Anthropology | Centers | Faculty and Staff | Political Science | Religious Studies

Local chapter of Indiana Black Expo touts importance of youth programs

Journal and Courier, December 4, 2012

The Polis Center, a unit of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, collaborated with the Indiana Black Expo and Engaging Solutions on the 2012 State of Our Black Youth Report. The report showed educational improvements for local black youths in Lafayette, IN. However, issues of poverty and crime were a disturbing trend highlighted in the report. [Article]

Is religion or politics driving this talk of secession?

The Salt Lake Tribune, November 29, 2012

The presidential election has ended and waves of Americans, unhappy with the results, are petitioning the White House to allow their states to secede from the United States. Professor Peter J. Thuesen (Religious Studies) suggests those seeking secession continue in a long line of groups who seek to restore religious purity by breaking away from a larger group. [Article]

From Where I Sit - Silence on Europe is deafening

Times Higher Education, November 22, 2012

The European debt crisis has been a key news story the past few years and the crisis threatens to derail the European Union. Despite the volume of news and issues, academia has remained silent, and Professor John McCormick (Political Science) finds this a troubling trend. [Article]

IUPUI Assisting Asian Nation with Training

Inside Indiana Business, November 7, 2012

The Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication, a unit of the IU School of Liberal Arts, welcomed thirty-three Vietnamese mathematics and information technology professors for a seven-week training program. The Vietnamese government funds the programs with the goal of increasing understanding and application of the English language among faculty and students. [Article]

Of Donut Shops and Oil Wells: My Semester as a Harman Scholar

News-A Publication of the Society for Applied Anthropology, November 1, 2012

As the Distinguished Harman Scholar in Applied Anthropology at California State University-Long Beach, Professor Susan Hyatt (Anthropology) had the opportunity to experience a new academic setting and exchange ideas with new colleagues. She also learned about California’s Proposition 30 and how its failure could have affected those colleagues’ careers as well as educational opportunities for Californians. [Article]

Dr. Susan B. Hyatt Mentoring Students: Lessons Learned by an Apprentice Applied Anthropologist

News-A Publication of the Society for Applied Anthropology, November 1, 2012

Kara Klemins, a senior Cultural Anthropology student at North Carolina State, interviewed Professor Susan Hyatt (Anthropology) at the 2011 American Anthropology Association meeting in Montreal. Klemins writes about Hyatt’s career and the class projects that create collaborations between students and the Indianapolis community. [Article]

Hyatt Visiting As Harman Scholar

California State University-Long Beach, November 1, 2012

Professor Susan Hyatt (Anthropology) was named the Robert C. Harman Applied Anthropology Visiting Scholar in California State University-Long Beach’s Department of Anthropology. She is the second scholar to receive the honor, which was funded by "emeritus faculty member Robert Harman to establish an endowment enabling the department to have a distinguished applied anthropologist serve in residence every other year." [Article]

Published on: December 10, 2012

Dr. Johnny P. Flynn: 1951-2012

News Categories: Campus News | Faculty and Staff | General News | Religious Studies

Message from Dean William Blomquist:

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the following on behalf of the Department of Religious Studies and the American Indian Programs in the IU School of Liberal Arts:

Dr. Johnny P. Flynn, 61, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of American Indian Programs at IUPUI, died on November 29, 2012, after a long illness.  A beloved teacher whose "Introduction to Religion" and "American Indian Religions" classes were favorites among IUPUI students, Professor Flynn was a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma.  A longtime activist in American Indian affairs, Professor Flynn received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara.  He previously taught at Northern Arizona University and Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, before coming to IUPUI as a lecturer in 2004.  He was appointed Assistant Professor and Director of Indian Programs in 2008.  A highlight of his directorship was the alliance he built with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, the only tribe with federal recognition in Indiana.  The agreement, in which the Pokagon Band provided a grant for staff support in return for continued development of Native American education on campus, was signed by IUPUI Chancellor Charles Bantz and Pokagon Tribal Chairman Matthew Wesaw in a special ceremony on November 18, 2010.  Professor Flynn was a public scholar who contributed frequently to the online magazine Religion Dispatches.  His other publications included "Something in the Wind: Spiritual Renewal in the American Indian Movement," in Time It Was: American Stories from the Sixties, edited by Karen Manners Smith and Tim Koster (Pearson, 2008), and "Purgatory and the Powerful Dead: A Case Study of Native American Repatriation," co-authored with Gary Laderman, in Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation, vol. 4 (Winter 1994).  In 2007, he received the Advisor of the Year Award from IUPUI Undergraduate Student Government for his work with the Native American Student Alliance.  The funeral will be private for family.  Details regarding ways to honor Professor Flynn’s memory will be forthcoming.

Published on: December 03, 2012

Center for Global Entrepreneurship Welcomes New Staff and Interns

News Categories: Africana Studies | Centers | Faculty and Staff

The Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI is pleased to announce the addition of new staff and interns at the center. These include Mr. David L. Williams, a Research Fellow at the center, and two graduate student interns, Ms. Mariam S. Bah and Mr. Abhishek R. Kankanala.

According to Dr. Bessie House-Soremekun, Founding Executive Director, "The Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development is excited to have our new staff and graduate interns to participate in the exciting activities of our center. We are poised to make tremendous contributions in enhancing economic development for the 21^st century knowledge economy and welcome their new ideas to enhance our global engagement on many important issues." CEGESUD also has more than 20 local, national, and international research fellows affiliated with its work.

The primary purpose of the Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development (CEGESUD) is to pursue the scholarly analysis of globalization, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development in an academic environment and to build entrepreneurial capacity through the provision of its research-based business- training classes to members of the local, national, and international community.  CEGESUD also focuses on identifying variables which affect the attainment of entrepreneurial success and economic self-sufficiency for Africans and African Americans and provides ongoing assessments through experimental research design and modeling of the best practices in building entrepreneurial capacity.

The new staff members bring a diverse range of backgrounds and knowledge to the CEGESUD:

David L. Williams (BA Spanish and Portuguese, Colorado State; MA, International Studies, Fairleigh Dickinson) is a graduate of Crispus Attucks High School. He has performed research on slavery in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Brazil. He recently completed a book, titled, Naptown Blues: Indianapolis and Indiana Avenue’s Entertainment Empire and is currently performing research at the Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development on African-American businesses in Indianapolis from 1865-1970.

Abhishek R. Kankanala (BA, Information Technology, Jawaharlan Nehru Technological University) is currently an international graduate student at IUPUI focusing on Computer Science. He is performing research for the Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development, enhancing the center’s website, helping to virtualize the center’s paper documents and materials, and helping to work on grants for the center.

Mariam Bah, also a graduate student (BA Public Health, IUPUI) is currently a graduate student in the Public Health Program at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI with a concentration in Epidemiology. Her interest in the center is based on her passion to work on research and projects that will significantly benefit the African communities and the African diaspora through performing work on entrepreneurship, sustainability, and community development.

Photo: (Far Left) Abhishek Kankanala, (center left) Bessie House-Soremekun, (center right) Mariam Bah, and (far right) David L. Williams

Published on: November 21, 2012

Dr. Joseph T. Taylor Award for Excellence in Diversity - 2012 Call for Nominations

News Categories: Campus News | Event Announcements | Faculty and Staff | Lectures and Seminars

In honor of Dr. Joseph T. Taylor, the first dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, this is a call for nominations and applications for the 13th annual IUPUI Excellence in Diversity Awards.  The awards will be conferred by Chancellor Charles R. Bantz during the 24rd Annual Joseph T. Taylor Symposium on February 27, 2013.  Award recipient(s) will be selected from nominations or applications submitted by faculty, staff or students in recognition of exemplary IUPUI individuals, academic and support programs, events, policies and activities that have led to one or more of the following:

Institutional Leadership and Commitment - Clarity of expectations, resource investment, and accountability at all levels of leadership.

• Curricular and Co-Curricular Transformation - Incorporation of principles of multiculturalism, pluralism, equity and diversity into the curriculum and co-curriculum.
• Campus Climate - The degree to which the events, messages, symbols, values of the campus make it a welcoming and inclusive environment.
• Representational Diversity - The degree to which the campus attracts, retains, and develops students, faculty, and staff of color.
• IUPUI Community in issues related to race, class, or gender through innovative curriculum, research, programs or events.

Attached find the application for nominees that must be submitted no later than December 17, 2012 to:

Kim D. Kirkland, Ed. D.
Director, IUPUI Office of Equal Opportunity
Taylor Diversity Awards
980 Indiana Avenue, Rm. 1164
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: (317) 274-2306
Fax: (317) 274-3963
affaindy@iupui.edu

Published on: November 20, 2012

IUPUI aims to reduce trash with campus-wide single-stream recycling

News Categories: Campus News

Beginning Jan. 1, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis will convert to single-stream recycling.

“Single-stream recycling is expected to create a simpler recycling process that will increase the amount of campus waste being recycled and reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the trash,” said Dawn Rhodes, IUPUI vice chancellor for finance and administration.

The announcement was made in conjunction with America Recycles Day.

With single-stream recycling, there is no sorting, and there are few materials that cannot be recycled, said Colleen McCormick, director of the IUPUI Office of Sustainability. That will lead to a decrease in trash, she said.

A system that requires sorting into separate bins often leads to confusion about what can be recycled. Some people find it easier to just throw everything into the trash bins instead of recycling, McCormick said.

Single-stream recycling allows users to conveniently place all of their recyclable items such as newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, magazines, glass, aluminum and plastic in one recycling bin. The recyclables are sorted later at a recycling center.
An educational program will be developed to aid the campus community in moving to a single-stream recycling system, McCormick said.

In August, IUPUI moved in the direction of single-stream recycling for the entire campus when it implemented single-stream recycling for on-campus housing.

Published on: November 20, 2012

New technology tools allow IUPUI and Slovenian students to come together for a class

News Categories: Campus News | International | Teaching | Technology

New technology tools have allowed students at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the University of Primorska in Slovenia to take a twice-a-week class together and discuss what they are learning whenever they want.

“It’s like taking a study abroad class without having to go abroad to study,” said Sotiris Hji-Avgoustis, a professor in the Department of Tourism, Conventions and Event Management.

He is co-teaching the class with Dawn Michele Whitehead, director of curriculum internationalization in the IUPUI Office of International Affairs, Irena Weber, assistant professor at the University of Primorska, and Anton Gosar, dean of the faculty of tourism at the University of Primorska.

The eight-week class is a course for majors in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI The advanced course, which focuses on the development and promotion of tourism in an urban setting, addresses the integration of knowledge across disciplines. The student work for the course examines dimensions of tourism from historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives.

It is held in IUPUI’s Global Crossroads classroom, where videoconferencing technology enables the Slovenian students, who speak and write English, and IUPUI students to see and hear each other and participate in real-time class discussions.

When the class is over, students turn to Course Networking to continue discussions on their own, post photos, make comments and review class assignments.

The CN was developed by Ali Jafari, a professor of Computer and Information Technology in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. The  CN is a free, academic social network that connects teachers and students from around the world based on shared interests and class subjects. It combines the social component of popular networks such as Facebook and Twitter with similar functionality of existing learning management systems used at many colleges and universities.

Unlike existing learning systems, though, which typically limit access to members of a single course, the CN creates an active, large-scale learning environment that is completely open to any user, nationally and internationally. It offers the opportunity for learners to collaborate with individuals all over the world—providing a vehicle for increased intercultural learning and cultural competency.

The University of Primorska Faculty of Tourism is located in Indianapolis’ sister city of Piran. In 2006, IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz, former Associate Vice Chancellor Susan Sutton, and Director of Study Abroad Stephanie Leslie traveled to Slovenia to explore university partnerships.  As a result, activity between IUPUI and the University of Primorska has increased to include this joint course.

“Real-time interaction through videoconferencing technology is interesting and intriguing for students,” Whitehead said. “WithThe CN.com we now have a tool that meets them where they are in terms of ability to engage and interact. It makes this more exciting, more educational outside of a formal academic environment for the students.”

Few of the IUPUI students have travelled abroad, Hji-Avgoustis said. “This is an opportunity for them to talk to people from a different country.”

Whitehead agreed, saying, “It helps students understand perspectives. To have this opportunity to learn about someplace quite different, but also to actually engage with someone from that environment, see differences, see some similarities, leads to a better understanding and appreciation of their own environment. By leaning about Slovenia, they are learning a lot about Indianapolis and themselves.”

While the technology happens to link IUPUI and a university in Slovenia, it could be used to link with just about any university anywhere—or multiple universities at the same time, Hji-Avgoustis said.

“It is the wave of the future,” he said. “Geographic limitations no longer prevent universities or professors from partnering or collaborating in teaching. It’s like working with someone whose office is next to yours.”

Published on: November 09, 2012

Vietnam turns to IUPUI center for training linked to national development goals

News Categories: Centers | Faculty and Staff | International | Teaching

The Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has begun an English language and teaching methodology training program linked to Vietnam’s national development goals.

Thirty-three Vietnamese professors of mathematics and information technology started a seven-week training program at the center Nov. 5 for teaching in English as the language of instruction and assessment at the university level.

The program is part of a larger project, funded by the Vietnamese government, to increase the capacity of Vietnamese professors and students to operate at a high level of competency in the English language, said Gil Latz, associate vice chancellor for international affairs at IUPUI. “This is a project central to Vietnam’s national educational development objectives as well as one that will raise awareness and opportunity for Indiana in Vietnam.”

The Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication, which is part of the IU School of Liberal Arts, is an internationally recognized research and training center, specializing in programs for faculty,   medical residents and postdoctoral researchers, as well as business professionals.

ICIC has hosted international faculty and government officials from Afghanistan, Mali and China in similar programs using its proven English for Specific Purposes approach to language teaching.

“This program showcases the specific expertise we have at ICIC to help international faculty perfect their academic English skills,” said Ulla Connor, director of ICIC and chancellor’s professor of English.

Published on: November 07, 2012

MA in Applied Communication wins national award

News Categories: Communication Studies | Research | Teaching

The National Communication Association (NCA) has selected IUPUI’s Master of Arts in Applied Communication degree program as the top MA program for 2012-2013.  The degree is offered by the Department of Communication Studies in the IU School of Liberal Arts.

The award, given by the Master’s Education Section of NCA, recognizes programs that demonstrate "excellent quality in developing research and teaching and that mentor students well in their personal and professional growth."

The MA in Applied Communication degree program, which began in 2003 with four enrolled students, offers both applied and theoretical approaches to study. The program has grown since its inception, graduating a record high of 14 students since last spring and welcoming 24 new students-from around the country and world-this fall.

The program’s innovations and curriculum led reviewers to give it high marks.

Opportunities for students in the degree program include partnerships with organizations in the community allowing students to apply their skills to solve communication challenges. Students also have a chance to work with international organizations like the World Health Organization and to collaborate with universities in Russia, Poland, and Macedonia. There is also available funding to support students as they teach, research, and study abroad, and the opportunity to participate in conferences on the regional, national, and international level.

Students graduate the program prepared for a professional career or further studies at the Ph.D. level.

 "This award is testament to the hard work of the faculty and staff of the Department of Communication Studies and the national and international impact of our MA alumni in just ten short years," says Kristina Horn Sheeler, associate professor and chair of the department. "It is wonderful to have this external recognition by our national association and disciplinary peers. We are honored to receive this award and excited for what the future holds."

The Master’s Education Section promotes "dialogue and scholarship engaging issues of master’s level education in the communication disciplines."  The organization hosts panels and programs focused on master’s level education at the NCA’s annual meeting each fall.  The award will be presented during the Section’s program at the November meeting in Orlando.

"This award comes from the premier professional association in communication studies in the United States-a true mark of distinction recognizing the excellence of our master’s degree program.  It confirms our confidence in and our appreciation of the superb faculty and staff in our Department of Communication Studies and the work they do with and on behalf of our students," said William Blomquist, dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. "One of the hallmarks of our master’s programs in the School of Liberal Arts is the blending of rigorous academic preparation with practical experience, and the program in Applied Communication epitomizes that approach to graduate education.  We all congratulate our Communication Studies colleagues on this well-deserved honor." 

Published on: November 06, 2012

New graduate scholarship celebrates life of sociology professor Sue Steinmetz

News Categories: Sociology

The Department of Sociology has created a new graduate scholarship fund in honor of their late colleague, Professor Suzanne Steinmetz, who was a member of the faculty from 1989 until her sudden passing in 2009.

Professor Steinmetz’s influence on the department was significant and long-lasting, says Robert White, professor and chair of the Department of Sociology in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.  As department chair and director of graduate studies she played a key role in setting the department’s course, particularly in shaping its graduate program.  She was always concerned about the health and strength of the department and was generous with her time, knowledge, and friendship to faculty and students alike.

Professor Steinmetz was known world-wide as an expert in domestic violence, making many important contributions to the field of family studies and policy development.

The Suzanne Steinmetz Scholar in Sociology Fund will help graduate students defray the costs of their advanced studies.  The scholarship will be a minimum of $500 annually and may be supplemented by additional funds. The first scholarship will be awarded this spring.

"What better way is there to honor a professor than to give a scholarship in that person’s name?" asks White. "The Suzanne Steinmetz Scholar Fund will last in perpetuity. Sue gave generously of her time, talents, and treasure when she was on the faculty. The scholarship will honor her commitment to students forever. Sue was the type of person who ‘paid’ it forward. If someone did something nice for her, she was gracious, but she also was willing to go an extra step and be nice not only to those who were nice to her, but also to others. In this way, she had a tremendous influence."

"Sue Steinmetz was a great colleague and she is still sorely missed," says White.

Additional gifts to the Steinmetz Fund are welcomed. They may be made online or by mail to the Indiana University Foundation, PO Box 663802, Indianapolis, IN 46266-3802. Checks may be made out to the IU Foundation with "Suzanne Steinmetz Fund" on the memo line. Please indicate that your gift is in Professor Steinmetz’s memory so that the family can be notified of your generosity.

Published on: November 05, 2012

IUPUI professor among poets to read new works inspired by Hoosier landmarks

News Categories: English | Faculty and Staff

An Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis associate professor is among a group of poets chosen to participate in the Landmark Lyrics poetry project that culminates with a reading Nov. 15 at Indiana Landmarks Center in Indianapolis.

The project was initiated by Brick Street Poetry, which sent Hoosier poets to 20 different historic buildings to write poems about the landmarks. The poets will read their new works at the Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., beginning at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Mitchell Douglas, an assistant professor of creative writing and literature in the IU School of Liberal Arts’ Department of English, went to Bush Stadium in Indianapolis. His new work is titled “Promise.”

The buildings that served as inspiration for the poems include a courthouse in Winchester, a round barn in Fulton County and a railroad roundhouse in Frankfort.

Landmark Lyrics was made possible by a Historic Preservation Education Grant from Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, reconnects people to heritage and saves meaningful places. With nine offices throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns.

Published on: November 02, 2012

IUPUI joins American Council on Education’s Internationalization Laboratory

News Categories: Campus News | Faculty and Staff | International

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, along with eight other institutions, is working with the American Council on Education’s Internationalization Laboratory to deepen its campus internationalization.

Each year ACE selects a group to join an invitational learning community that helps participating universities achieve comprehensive internationalization, which at IUPUI is defined as “the active involvement, across the teaching, research and engagement missions of the university, in global networks of knowledge and collaboration.” The current group that includes IUPUI is the 10th to participate in the program since 2002.

“The laboratory helps campuses focus attention on and create a community of understanding around the concept of internationalization,” said Barbara Hill, senior associate in ACE’s Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement. “This cohort is made up of a diverse group of engaged individuals who will energize their faculty and leadership to enhance the way they approach global education.”

Over a 16- to 20-month span, experts from ACE will help the institutions review current international activities, to clarify institutional goals and develop a strategic action plan based on an analysis of current activities on campus.

The IUPUI internationalization leadership team includes representatives from a broad cross-section of campus schools and programs. William Blomquist, professor of political science and dean of the School of Liberal Arts, is team chairman. An advisory group includes members of the government, business, nonprofit and education sectors.

Among its activities, the leadership team will send representatives to learning community meetings in Washington, D.C., to share information and identify best practices; and work on campus to conduct an internationalization review, develop student learning outcomes and create an internationalization strategic plan.

Other institutions participating in the internationalization laboratory are Becker College and Merrimack College, both in Massachusetts, Grand Valley State University in Michigan, Samford University in Alabama, Texas Christian University, University of Minnesota Duluth, Villanova University in Pennsylvania and Virginia Commonwealth University.

About American Council on Education:

Founded in 1918, the American Council on Education s the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research and program initiatives.

Published on: October 23, 2012

‘C.S.I. Shakespeare’ documentary debuts Nov. 1 on WFYI

News Categories: Campus News | Centers | English | Faculty and Staff

Film highlights efforts of world-renowned Shakespeare scholar to recreate lost 400-year-old play for premiere at IUPUI’s new campus theater

In spring 2012, the IU School of Liberal Arts, on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, presented the world premiere of "The History of Cardenio," a lost 400-year-old play by William Shakespeare and collaborator John Fletcher. This landmark production, and the story behind its world premiere, is the subject of the new 30-minute documentary, "C.S.I Shakespeare," which premieres at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, on WFYI 1 Public Television (20.1 DT). A three-minute preview of the film, is available on the WFYI website.

Created by Jim Simmons, an Emmy Award-winning WFYI producer, "C.S.I Shakespeare" highlights the 20-year effort by Gary Taylor, world-renowned Shakespeare scholar and Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University, to recreate the play, filtering old texts through modern high-tech databases to reconstruct the original. Viewers travel with Taylor to Shakespeare’s New Globe Theatre in London and retrace his academic roots at Oxford University. We then return to the new theater at IUPUI to see Hoosier Bard productions, directed by IUPUI professor of English drama Terri Bourus, reanimate "Cardenio," with a mix of student and professional actors and a haunting original musical score.

Production funding for "C.S.I Shakespeare" is underwritten by the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

About WFYI Public Media

For more than four decades, WFYI Public Media has served as a center of discovery for all ages. WFYI’s diverse public radio and television programs and services provide a foundation for early learning, inspire curiosity and serve as a catalyst for lifelong learning. To learn more about WFYI Public Media’s programs and educational services, visit the station’s website, “like" us” on Facebook, or follow along on Twitter.

Published on: October 22, 2012

In the News - September 2012

News Categories: Centers | Communication Studies | English | Political Science | Religious Studies

Experts from Liberal Arts departments and centers are regularly cited in the local, national, and international media. A selection from online sources provides a sampling of the types of issues and kinds of research Liberal Arts faculty are called upon to talk about in the public sphere. Also included is general Liberal Arts news covered by the media.

Dems weigh close senate race, huge gap for governor

The Indy Channel, September 14, 2012

Democrats are trailing in the Senate race and some are suggesting the party should bail on its Statehouse quest.  Margaret Ferguson, associate professor of political science, suggests the Senate seat is a better option for the Democratic Party, but should not write off the governor’s race.  [Article]

Nation’s first School of Philanthropy gets approved

The Non-Profit Times, September 14, 2012

Indiana University has been approved to establish a new school dedicated to the study and teaching of Philanthropy by combining academic and research on the philanthropic sector.  Michael McRobbie, president of Indiana University, says it will allow the university to take full advantage of other resources in related areas for students. [Article] [Additional Article] [Additional Article]

Airing speech no easy feat

The Journal Gazette, September 26, 2012

A Fort Wayne broadcast station, WFWA PBS 39, aired a live broadcast of a Burmese to English translation of Nobel peace laureate and politician Aung San Suu Kyi’s speech at Memorial Coliseum. Aye-Nu Duerksen, senior lecturer in English at IUPUI, acted as the translator for what became a complicated production effort.  [Article]

IUPUI analyst defines presidential race

Indy’s News Center, September 3, 2012

Margaret Ferguson, a professor of political science, says Indiana was a factor that helped Barack Obama win the 2008 presidential race.  She explains that rather than focusing on Indiana’s eleven electoral votes, the Romney campaign will focus on winning Ohio.  The economy is the primary issue for both candidates, and Obama says that the economic situation is better than four years ago. She adds that convincing voters of this will be the toughest challenge for Obama’s campaign.  [Article]

IUPUI professor sizes up women voters

Indy’s News Center, September 26, 2012

Kristy Sheeler, associate professor of communication studies, says the women’s vote is the American vote, since women now account for fifty-one percent of the electorate.  Sheeler asserts that women do not vote as a block, so the presidential candidates will do better with women voters on individual issues.  [Article]

Muslim delegates at Democratic convention quadrupled since 2004

The Washington Post, September 5, 2012

The number of Muslim delegates at the Democratic National Convention has risen since 2004.  Most Muslim Americans voted Republican until the Patriot Act and other post 9/11 security policies were enforced.  Edward Curtis IV, professor of religious studies, reports that many Muslims are disappointed by Obama’s foreign policies.  Curtis believes, however, that Muslims will support Obama in order to defend their community against discriminatory policies enacted under recent Republican political leadership. [Article]

Published on: October 09, 2012

Japanese Students Explore Women’s Leadership Issues In Unique IUPUI English Program

News Categories: Centers | English | International | Women's Studies | World Languages and Cultures

A record number of students from Japan traveled to Indianapolis this summer for an intensive, three-week English language program that also taught them real-world lessons on women’s leadership issues.

The unique program is sponsored by the Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication (ICIC) a language and cultural training center that is part of the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

ICIC developed the program nearly eighteen years ago, noted ICIC Director Ulla Connor. The program has proved so popular that ICIC is considering expanding it to other universities.

 "Students like our program because it gives them a chance to practice their English skills in a very interactive, practical way. They stay with American homestay families in the area, and explore cultural activities in the afternoons. They also go on an overnight excursion to Chicago."

"It allowed me to really experience life in America for the first time," she said Misaki Mochizuki. "Before I took the program, I didn’t have confidence, especially in speaking English," she said.

The program gives the young women greater confidence in their English skills through hands-on, interactive activities both in the classroom and in the community.

"In Japan, we are passive in classes. Here, we could participate," noted one student. "I had many opportunities to use English class and it was exciting," said another.

Many classroom activities center on women’s leadership issues. Female business, education and civic leaders share their insights on what it takes to be an effective leader, particularly in an intercultural environment.

Diana Sims-Harris, Associate Director of the Office of Student Involvement at IUPUI, spoke to the students about leadership issues and how each person can be a leader in their own individual environment.

"We talked about what leadership is and for many of the students, I think it was the first time that they thought of themselves as a leader," she said. "We looked at it from a different perspective: Where are your strengths as an individual? We all have different strengths, but we can all affect positive change."

Students worked in groups to synthesize what they had learned, making formal presentations to the class at the end of the program.

"I was nervous about having to do a presentation, but through this activity, I learned presentation skills," noted one student.

"It was difficult to present," said another, "but it gave me confidence to speak in English."

Staying with local families gave students additional opportunities to practice their English and learn about American culture and family life.

"My host family took me us many places," one student said. "It was very fun. They were very friendly."

"Our host family treated us as if we were real daughters," said another.

Students also attended the Indiana State Fair and attended an Indiana Fever women’s professional basketball game. A pizza party with IUPUI students was also one of the students’ favorite activities.

"In Japan, I don’t have opportunities like this, so it was very fun," one student commented.

"I had many opportunities to speak and write in English and to think about leadership and myself deeply," one student added.

For more information on ICIC’s intensive English language and culture programs, visit our website at http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/icic/ or contact us directly at icic@iupui.edu or (317) 274-2555.

Published on: October 04, 2012