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Volume 7, Issue 7 (July 2011)

Letter From the Dean

John Doody

Dear Friend of the College,

Welcome to the July 2011 e-newsletter for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Inside A&S.

For the past year, I’ve had the honor of serving as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University, and come August, my tenure as Dean will end as our community welcomes Dean Jean Ann Linney, Ph.D., to the College.

I want to take a moment to thank you for your extraordinary support and cooperation during the 2010-2011 academic year. It has been a sincere pleasure for me to work with you to advance the mission of our College and to improve the quality of the academic programs and services that we offer our students.

The College seeks to offer its students a premier liberal arts and sciences college experience within the context of a Catholic, Augustinian understanding of the rich Christian tradition we have inherited, and together, we have paved the way for the culmination of this vision and many future successes.

Among our many accomplishments of this past year are the College’s new core curriculum and Office for Undergraduate Students, both of which reflect our shared desire to provide our students with the very best education and support services possible. In addition, I truly enjoyed working with Gary Olson and the Alumni Office as well as our fine Development staff.

As I reflect on this remarkable year, I am reminded of my many interactions with you, the alumni, faculty, staff, and administration of our College.

Meeting – or more often – reconnecting with former students was perhaps the highlight of my year’s experiences. I can say with complete assurance to my faculty colleagues that we have touched our students’ lives, and they truly appreciate their Villanova years. Meeting them, as I did, in many different venues throughout the year reinforced my belief that teaching is a vocation worth cherishing with all of one's heart and soul.

I also would like to make special mention of the strong support I was fortunate to receive from our Department Chairs and Program Directors as well as the good will so many of my faculty colleagues offered me. I am very thankful for your words of good wishes.

I am thrilled to welcome Dean Linney to the College and to Villanova. Kindly join me in welcoming her to our fine University.

Again, my thanks to you for your ongoing support and for all that you do for the College. I hope that the summer months are both enjoyable and productive for you.

And remember, work in the Office of the Dean doesn’t stop during the summer. Please know that the transition to 2011-2012 has already begun, ensuring that work in the College progresses uninterrupted. For example, roll out plans for the new Core Curriculum in the College continue to take shape, and you’ll read about the many changes in more detail in the 2011-2012 edition of the Enchiridion, which will be published on the Web in late summer.

Thank you for continuing to read Inside A&S. I wish you a restful and fun summer.

Sincerely,

John Doody signature
John A. Doody, Ph.D. Dean of the College

 

Dean Linney

Jean Ann Linney, Ph.D., Appointed Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University

Jean Ann Linney, Ph.D., has been appointed Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, effective August 15, 2011. An accomplished teacher-scholar with distinguished achievement in teaching, research, and administration, Linney most recently served as Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Read more here.

 

Lauren Shohet

Lauren Shohet, Ph.D., Named First Holder of Luckow Endowed Chair in English

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University is pleased to announce that Lauren E. Shohet, Ph.D., a professor of English at Villanova, has been appointed the first holder of the Luckow Family Endowed Chair in English. The Chair is designed to support a nationally recognized scholar and highly-regarded teacher, enhancing the scholarly reputation of the department, college, and university, as well as advancing the education of Villanova literature students, both undergraduate and graduate. Dr. Shohet will hold the chair for five years. Learn more here.

 

Harron Chair

Raka Shome, Ph.D., Named the Inaugural, 2011-2012 Harron Family Endowed Chair in Communication

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Communication, at Villanova University are pleased to announce that Dr. Raka Shome has been named the inaugural, 2011-2012 Harron Family Endowed Chair in Communication. Her pioneering, nationally- and internationally-recognized scholarship has marked her as one of the leading voices in critical/cultural studies in the Communication discipline. Learn more here.

 

Mendel Science Center

Congratulations to Faculty Awarded Tenure and Promoted

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences congratulates those professors on their recent promotions.

Those faculty tenured as associate professors include: Hibba Abugideiri, Ph.D., history; Alice Dailey, Ph.D., English; Timothy Dudley, Ph.D., chemistry; Jesse Frey, Ph.D., mathematics; Amanda Grannas, Ph.D., chemistry; Krista Malott, Ph.D., education; Letizia Modena, Ph.D., romance languages; Christine Palus, Ph.D., political science; Michael Posner, Ph.D., mathematics; Mark Shiffman, Ph.D., humanities; Michael Tomko, Ph.D., humanities; and Kelly Welch, Ph.D., sociology.

Louise Russo, Ph.D., biology, has been promoted to associate professor, and Mirela Damian, Ph.D., computer science, has been promoted to full professor.

 

SAC

Kathryn Getek Soltis, S.T.L., Ph.D., Named Director of Center for Peace and Justice Education

Kathryn Getek Soltis, S.T.L., Ph.D., has been named the new director of Center for Peace and Justice Education. Getek Soltis holds a Ph.D. in Theological Ethics from Boston College, a master's degree and a License in Sacred Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, as well as an undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton University. Her areas of scholarship include virtue ethics, social ethics, and fundamental moral theology, with a special focus on justice, punishment, and the U.S. criminal justice system. Getek Soltis is a former executive committee member of the Society of Christian Ethics and was the U.S. representative for new scholars at the 2010 gathering of Catholic Theological Ethicists in the World Church. Since arriving at Villanova in 2008, she has taught for the Ethics Program, including coursework for the Service Learning Community and the Graterford Prison-Villanova Partnership. This spring, Getek Soltis was nominated as a semi-finalist for the 2010 Lindback Teaching Award. Recognizing the Center’s continued and expanding capacity to serve the Villanova community – and ultimately, the poor and the marginalized – Getek Soltis seeks to deepen existing offerings and shape the Center as a dynamic community within the life of Villanova, drawing on our University’s unique ingenuity to confront the challenges of widespread marginalization and conflict.

 

Graduate Students

Following in Their Footsteps: Exploring the Paths of the Eary Civil Rights Movement

At the National Constitution Center on May 16, History graduate students in Dr. Judith Giesberg’s Public History Practicum fascinated their actual and virtual audiences with presentations on little-known leaders in the post-Civil War civil rights movement at an interactive webinar. The students -- Michael Fiorelli, Erika Grimminger, Joshua Kloker, and Amber Levy -- researched four cases involving black litigants who sought to integrate public places in the decades before the famous Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Learn more here.

 

Comedy of Errors

Villanova Theatre Presents "The Comedy of Errors"

Villanova Theatre proudly presents "The Comedy of Errors," from Sept. 27 to Oct. 9, 2011. Performances run Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.  Faculty and staff tickets are $11 and FREE on Tuesdays. Learn more here.

 

CRS Partnership

CRS and Villanova Partnership Sponsor a Series of Fall 2011 Events

The Villanova University and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) partnership is sponsoring a series of events during the fall 2011 semester. Be sure to mark your calendar now to attend the events. Learn more about them here.

 

Chemistry

Save the Date: Orientation and Reception for New Graduate Students on August 20

New graduate students in all programs in the liberal arts and sciences are invited to the Graduate Student Orientation and Reception on Saturday, August 20, from 12 to 3 p.m., in CEER 001. (For a map and directions,click here.)

The event is organized by the Graduate Arts and Sciences Student Council aswell as the Graduate Studies Office. Returning graduate students will first offer tours of the Villanova campus, tailored to the needs of a graduate student.

Immediately thereafter, the officers of the Graduate Student Council will present a brief overview of the council’s work, including its social, philanthropic, and advocacy activities. Dr. Adele Lindenmeyr, Dean of Graduate Studies, will provide information on policies, research support, and other aspects of the graduate student experience at Villanova, and Dr. Gregory Hoskins, editor of Concept, the university’s journal for graduate students, will speak about publication opportunities. A reception with food and drink will follow this brief meeting.

 

Chemistry

Save the Date: 2011 Anthony J. and Heand Johns Silvestri Lectureship: 10/25

The Department of Chemistry is hosting the 2011 Anthony J. & Heand Johns Silvestri Lectureship on Tuesday, October 25. Our guest speaker is Dr. Erik J. Sorensen, Arthur Allan Patchett Professor in Organic Chemistry at Princeton University. More information to come.

 

One Book Villanova

One Book Villanova 2011-2012

The One Book Villanova Committee is pleased to announce that the selection for the 2011-2012 academic year is Jamie Ford’s acclaimed and moving first novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Set in Seattle, the novel tells the story of a young Chinese boy, Henry, and Keiko, a Japanese girl, who forge a relationship during the World War II era of Japanese internment camps. Ford's novel will provide an opportunity for the Villanova community to examine a significant and painful moment in 20th century American history while also opening up questions of ethnic identify, intercultural understanding, the power of family relationships, and the power of forgiveness. Learn more here.

 

Research

Save the Date: Undergraduate Research Poster Session on Sept. 20

The 2011 Villanova Undergraduate Research Poster Session will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the Villanova Room of the Connelly Center. This event is sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF), the College of Liberal Arts  and Sciences, and the College of Engineering.This important event highlights research accomplishments of our undergraduate students and their faculty mentors over the past year. More information to come.

Click here for a recap from last year's undergraduate research poster session.

 

OUS

Save the Date: Office for Undergraduate Students Hosts Majors Fair on Friday, October 28

The Office for Undergraduate Students (OUS) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will sponsor an Undergraduate Academic Majors Fair on Friday, Oct. 28, from 1 to 4 p.m., in the Villanova Room of Connelly Center. The purpose of the event is to showcase the College's many academic majors, minors, and concentrations, and help first- and second-year students in particular make informed decisions about their courses of study. Learn more here.

 

Conference

Hispanic Studies Hosts Conference to Celebrate the Life and Work of Famous Peruvian Writer

The Hispanic Studies Program in the Department of Romance languages and Literatures will host an international conference in celebration of the centenary of the birth of José María Arguedas, the famous 20th century Peruvian writer, on October 28-29, 2011, in Connelly Center on the campus of Villanova University. Learn more here.

 

Dr. DeSimone

Joseph DeSimone, Ph.D., Named 2011 Mendel Medalist

Joseph M. DeSimone, Ph.D., the Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University, has been named the 2011 Mendel medalist. DeSimone also is an adjunct member at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. DeSimone has published over 270 scientific articles and has over 115 issued patents in his name with more than 120 patents pending.

Dr. DeSimone will deliver the annual Mendel Medal Lecture on Friday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m., in the Connely Center Cinema. All are welcome to attend.

Learn more here. 

 

Dr. DeSimone

Open House: Learn More About Graduate-level Programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on Oct. 18

Make plans to attend the next Open House for Graduate Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, from 3:30 to 7 p.m., in the Villanova Room of Connelly Center on Villanova's campus. Learn more here. 

 

Jill LePore

Harvard Historian Jill LePore to Deliver the Third Annual Kephart Lecture

Jill Lepore, Ph.D., David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History, Harvard University, will deliver the third annual Lore Kephart '86 Distinguished Historians Lecture on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., in the Villanova Room of Connelly. LePore also is a staff writer at The New Yorker. Learn more about Dr. LePore here.

 

 

Weston

Villanova Marine Scientist Nathaniel Weston Featured on National Science Foundation’s Science Video Series, “Science Nation”

Courtesy of the National Science Foundation

Marshes and Seal Level Rise

How climate change is impacting marshes

It is a very muddy trek from the small boat to the field site along Raccoon Creek near Bridgeport, N.J. Villanova University marine scientist Nathaniel Weston and his team are all carrying ladders and equipment as they slosh through ankle deep mud toward their experiments."

The whole reason I got into this line of research is because I like being outside, I like coastal estuaries and marsh systems, I like getting muddy, so I have fun with it," says Weston enthusiastically.

Read more here, and click here to view the video, too.

 

Logo

Villanovans Receive Prestigious Nationally Competitive Scholarships, Fellowships

Many Villanovans have received prestigious awards or honorable mention status in several nationally competitive scholarship programs. Click here to learn more.

 

Locke

Tiffany Locke Receives Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany

Tiffany Locke, '11, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany. Learn more here.

 

Karalunas

Brian Karalunas Wins the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in Men's Lacrosse

Brian Karalunas of Villanova has been selected as the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner in men's lacrosse. Read more here.

 

Pursuit of Excellence

Pursuit of Excellence Students Create Video

The Pursuit of Excellence is a Villanova first-year Learning Community devoted to studying the idea of excellence in great texts of the Western tradition, including the Iliad, the Bible, and Shakespeare. 

This year, students living in Pursuit of Excellence created a video, which chronicles their meaningful experiences as part of this Learning Community. Check it out here.

 

Logo

Department of Psychology Celebrates 50th Anniversary

On Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, the Department of Psychology celebrated its 50th anniversary. All events featured alumni and alumnae of the department and/or current students. These events included a symposium of research talks on both afternoons, a panel discussion on Friday afternoon focusing on non-academic careers with a psychology degree, a reception, and research poster session by current students on Friday night, and a culminating banquet on Saturday night. The celebration was a huge success. Learn more here.

Peace and Justice

New Graduate Certificate in Peace and Justice Studies

The Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Liberal Studies program are pleased to announce the creation of a new Graduate Certificate in Peace and Justice Studies. This certificate helps to prepare students for careers in social justice, advocacy, peacemaking, conflict resolution, journalism, teaching, and activism. Learn more here.

 

A Day in the Life still

College Presents "A Day in the Life": A New Short Film About the College

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is proud to present the short video documentary, A Day in the Life, featuring the lives of three Villanova students majoring in the liberal arts and sciences. The video was first screened during Candidates' Day on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

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IT Corner

  • SharePoint Upgrade. The College’s SharePoint server upgrade
    to SharePoint Enterprise 2010 has been rescheduled for August.

  • Office Communicator Deployment to Staff/ Admins. The Microsoft Office Communicator integrates the phone system with Microsoft Outlook and includes other features such as online presence and instant messaging. The client software will be installed throughout the College this summer.
  • Results of College IT Survey. The A&S IT Department conducted an information technology survey of faculty and staff in January. Use this link to review the report.

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Save the Dates!

Please mark your calendars for these important dates:

August 20-23       New Student Orientation
August 24             Classes Begin
Sept. 5                   Labor Day: No Classes
Sept. 16-17           Parents' Weekend
Sept. 22-24           St. Thomas of Villanova Celebration
Oct. 10-16              Fall Break


Please click here for the complete academic calendar.

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Faculty Scholarship

  • Rebecca Brand, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, presented three posters at the Society for Research in Child Development in Montreal entitled, Mother’s gaze during infant-directed demonstration highlights action boundaries and goals; Utterances used in acoustic packaging are discriminable based on prosody; and Toddler’s difficult temperament predicts television use. The psoters were presented in April and were co-authored with current Psychology M.S. students (See Student News). Dr. Brand also co-authored a poster that was presented at the Eastern Psychologicial Association meeting. The title of the poster is, What is beautiful is good, even online: Correlations between photo qualities and text qualities in men’s online dating profiles. The poster was presented by current Psychology M.S. students (See Student News). 
  • Michael Brown, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, co-authored a paper with MS alumnus (See Student and Alumni News), which is entitled, "Social effects on rat spatial choice in an open field task." It appeared in the latest issue of Learning and Motivation. Also, Dr. Brown recently presented papers at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in Cambridge, Mass., and the annual Conference on Comparative Cognition in Melbourne Beach, Fla., and coauthored posters presented by his students (See Student and Alumni News).
  • Robert Curry, Ph.D., a professor of biology, served as Chair of the Scientific Program Committee for Kearney 2011, a joint meeting of the Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS), Cooper Ornithological Society, and Association of Field Ornithologists, In March 2011. At the conference, Curry presented a paper on song repertoires of Carolina chickadees, co-authored by Villanova undergraduate K. Zusi, and he was elected First Vice-President of the WOS. He also presented a report to the councils of the three societies concerning plans for the 5th North American Ornithological Conference, an international meeting to be held in Vancouver, BC, in August 2012. Curry represents the WOS on the Steering Committee for the conference, at which he will also serve as Chair of the Student Presentation Awards Committee. In addition, Curry completed a two-year term in April as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ornithological Council (OC), an organization that works on behalf of eleven professional ornithological organizations in North American. Curry returned to the position of Vice-chair of the OC Board, on which he serves as a representative for the WOS. He also published a paper, “Nest, eggs, and nesting behavior of the Gray Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis) on St. Lucia, West Indies,” in the June 2011 issue of the Wilson Journal of Ornithology, co-authored with current M.S. student Josh LaPergola and former M.S. student Jen Mortensen. He recently was one of more than 100 co-authors of an April 2011 letter in Nature on “Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality.” He also co-authored an oral presentation entitled, “Song variation in Carolina chickadees and implications for mate selection in hybridization,” given by undergraduate Karen Zusi at the 2011 annual meeting of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Ithaca College, New York.
  • Judith Giesberg, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, is part of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and PCN-TV's Humanities on the Road feature. Her show, "Lincoln and the Widow Bixby," will be taped on Saturday, June 25, at 2 p.m., at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. 
  • Edward Guinan, Ph.D., a professor of astronomy and astrophysics, was a lecturer at the 33rd International School of Young Astronomy (ISYA) held in Leijung, China in April. This school is sponsored by the International Astronomical Union  and was held to help young students and recent Ph.D.s from developing countries. Students from China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam,  and DPR Korea (North Korea) participated. The ISYA was held in conjunction with the Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar Astrophysics (PRCSA) so that the participating students could also attend the conference.  Guinan was also in China to meet with astronomers from Pyongyang Astronomical Observatory, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) about providing help with their astronomy teaching and education programs. Also Guinan presented an invited paper at the PRCSA on "On the Suitability of Red Dwarf Stars for Hosting Life-supporting Planets."
  • Charles H. Helmetag, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, has published an article, "Reflections on Heinz-Uwe Haus' Delaware Productions of 'Arturo Ui,'" in Communications from the International Brecht Society 39 (2010).
  • Wayne Huss, Ph.D., a professor of history, is the guest curator for an exhibit titled, “Rally ‘Round the Flag: Civil War Color Bearers and the Flags They Carried,” at the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia. The exhibit examines the most dangerous job on the battlefield: the color bearer. Wayne also spoke at the opening reception for the exhibit on April 21. 
  • Nancy L. Kelley, Ph.D., and Jonathan P. Yates, Ph.D., both of the Villanova Center for Liberal Education, made a presentation on the off-campus initiatives of the five freshmen "Learning Communities" at the 30th annual FYE or "First Year Experience" conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, on Feb. 8. The presentation demonstrated the ways in which these activities measurably improved both student academic performance and student satisfaction during their freshman year at Villanova and, by extension, how the VCLE model could be adapted and employed at other institutions. 
  • James J. Kirschke, Ph.D., a professor of English, chaired the session entitled, “Complications of the American Revolution,” at the Biennial Conference of the Society of Early Americanists, in Philadelphia, on March 5, 2011.
  • Elizabeth Kolsky, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has published an editorial on the case of Raymond Davis, the CIA operative, currently in custody in Lahore, in The Dawn (Pakistan's largest English language daily newspaper). Read the article here. In addition, Dr. Kolsky, in connection with her new research project on empire and terror, has been selected by the Palestinian American Research Center to participate in an overseas Faculty Development Seminar to be held in May in Jerusalem and the West Bank. In addition, Dr. Kolsky has published an article in Dawn, Pakistan’s leading English language newspaper, on the killing of Osama Bin Laden entitled, “Body of Evidence.” 
  • John Kurtz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, recently presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment in Cambridge, Mass. The paper is entitled, "Perceived and actual personality change during the transition to college." The paper was co-authored with an undergraduate alumna (see Student and Alumni News).  In addition, Dr. Kurtz is co-author on a paper published recently in the Personality and Social Psychology Review. The paper critically examines longstanding assumptions about the role of coefficient alpha in test validity. The first author is Robert McCrae from the National Institute on Aging.
  • Letizia Modena, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Italian, has published the book, Italo Calvino's Architecture of Lightness: The Utopian Imagination in an Age of Urban Crisis, New York and London: Routledge, 2011.
  • Robert Langran, Ph.D., a professor of political science, gave a lecture sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council to the Makefield Area Chapter of the American Association of University Women on the topic of the Supreme Court in Times of Crisis. In addition, Dr. Langran will represent his undergraduate alma mater, Loyola University Chicago, at the inauguration of Drexel University’s President on April 15.
  • Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, Ph.D., professor, director of Hispanic Graduate Studies, and director of the Cultural Studies Program, published a new edited volume entitled, Perennial Empire. It is co-edited with Chantal Zabus. Ithaca, NY: Cambria Press, 2011. Dr. Nagy-Zekmi also published an article in the Anales de Literatura Chilena entitled, "Memoria escatológica e historias apócrifas del Sur,” Anales de Literatura Chilena 11, 14, 2010: 239-254.
  • Michael A. Posner, Ph.D., an associate professor of statistics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, recently had two articles published. “The Impact of a Proficiency-Based Assessment and Reassessment of Learning Outcomes System on Student Achievement and Attitudes” was published in the May 2011 issue of the Statistics Education Research Journal, and “Managing the Grading Paradox: Leveraging the Power of Choice in the Classroom” was published in the June 2011 issue of Academy of Management Learning and Education. In April, he gave two presentations at the American Educational Research Association, one invited session on propensity score research in education, and one session on his NSF-funded grant evaluating a new assessment paradigm in 9th grade mathematics classes through a randomized controlled trial of 44 high schools in the Greater Philadelphia area.  In May, he gave two presentations at the U.S. Conference on Teaching Statistics, one on instructor characteristics associated with improved student attitudes toward statistics and one on evaluating the impacts of fun in the classroom. In addition, Dr. Posner has been reappointed by the President of the Mathematics Association of America (MAA) to a second three-year term on the MAA/ASA (American Statistical Association) Joint Committee on Statistics Education.
  • Megan Quigley, Ph.D., an assistant professor of English, has received a Research Fellowship from the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Megan will be using the fellowship to travel to do research on her book project: Vaguely Philosophical: Modernist Fiction and the Challenge of Philosophy.
  • Kelly-Anne Diamond Reed, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of history, has published the monograph, Transporting the Deceased to Eternity: The Ancient Egyptian Term h3t (Oxford: Archeopress, British Archeological Reports, 2010).
  • Deborah Schussler, Ed. D., an associate professor of education,  recently published the book she co-edited, Teaching as a Moral Practice: Defining, Developing and Assessing Professional Disposiitons in Teacher Education, through Harvard Education Press. Dr. Schussler presented a paper titled, “Educating as a Boddhisattva: Aware of the Self, Engaged as a Leader,” at the American Educational Research Association in April. Dr. Schussler will serve as the upcoming program chair for this organization’s Moral Development SIG (special interest group).
  • Paul Steege, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has published the article, "Ordinary Violence on an Extraordinary Stage: Incidents on the Sector Border in Postwar Berlin," in Performances of Violence. Ed. Austin Sarat, Carleen R. Basler, and Thomas L. Dumm. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2011: 140-63.
  • Michael Tomko, Ph.D., an assistant professor of literature in the Department of Humanities, has written the book, Romanticism and the Catholic Question: Religion, History and National Identity, 1788-1829, published by Palgrave Macmillan. Click here more information.  
  • The National Science Foundation recently filmed the tidal marsh field and laboratory work of Nathaniel B. Weston, Ph.D., an assistant professor of environmental science. You can find a short story and film clip on the NSF Web site.
  • Jonathan P. Yates, Ph.D., Rocco and Gloria Barbieri Fellow in the Humanities in the Villanova Center for Liberal Education, published, “The Use of the Bible in the North African Martyrological Polemics of Late Antiquity,” in Martyrdom and Persecution in Late Antique Christianity. Festschrift Boudewijn Dehandschutter, Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium CCXLI, ed. Johan Leemans (Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2010), 393-419.
  • Mike Zimmerman, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of biology, has been appointed a consultant to the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

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Alumni in the News

  • Villanova alumnus, Brian Anderson, coauthored and published two articles with Professor Charles Folk, Ph.D. “Target uncertainty effects in attentional capture: Singleton detection mode or multiple top-down control settings?” appeared in Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. The article, “Variations in the magnitude of attention capture: Testing a two-process account,” appeared in Attention, Perception & Psychophysics. Brian is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at The Johns Hopkins University. 
  • Villanova M.S. alumna, Katherine Andriole, and current M.S. students, Shaina Hardesty and Margaret Place, coauthored a paper with Michael F. Brown, Ph.D., and Bradley Sturz, Ph.D. (Armstrong Atlantic State University). The paper, entitled, “Precedence of spatial pattern learning revealed by immediate reversal performance,” was presented by Dr. Brown at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in Cambridge, Mass. 
  • Dr. Emily Ansell (MS Psychology, 1999), Yale University School of Medicine, was the first author of an article entitled, “Validity of the PAI Interpersonal Scales for Measuring the Dimensions of the Interpersonal Circumplex." The article was co-authored with Dr. John Kurtz, Dr. Patrick Markey, and recent alumna, Rebecca DeMoor (MS Psychology 2010). The article was recently published in the Journal of Personality Assessment. 
  • Ben Baran, Ph.D., SPHR, 
    management researcher, consultant, and instructor 
    at The 
    University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and 
    Lt. Cmdr. (select), U.S. Navy HR Community, received a Ph.D. in organizational science from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte in May. In August, he will start his new position as Assistant Professor of Management at Northern Kentucky University's Haile/US Bank College of Business. Baran graduated from Villanova in 2002 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and communication.
  • Steven Castellotti, '00, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in comouter science, is featured here: NeuroSky Breaks Guinness World Record to Launch the Mindwave Headset; Hosts of the Gadget Show Use NeuroSky's MindWave to Move a VW Motor Car.
    Boston, who is 36, is managing attorney of the Law Office of Sherry Boston, LLC. She also serves as a judge on the DeKalb Recorder's Court and the Dunwoody Municipal Court.

    She has a bachelor's degree from Villanova University. She earned her law degree from Emory University School of Law.



    Read more: invalid link: http://www.macon.com/2011/01/03/1396678/new-solicitor-general-named-for.html#ixzz19zhwCWDthttp://www.macon.com/2011/01/03/1396678/new-solicitor-general-named-for.html#ixzz19zhwCWDt
  • Joseph P. Chirichella, '76, has been named the new President and CEO of Deborah Heart and Lung Center, a specialty heart, lung, and vascular hospital in Browns Mills, New Jersey. Chirichella, of Mount Laurel, has been with Deborah for over 30 years, most recently serving as its Vice President, Operations. He received a BA in General Arts.
  • Villanova undergraduate alumna, Julia Hernandez, co-authored a paper with Dr. John Kurtz entitled, “Perceived and actual personality change during the transition to college.” The paper was presented in March at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment in Cambridge, Mass. Julia is currently enrolled in the master's program in psychology at Loyola College of Maryland.  
  • Pervinder Johar has been named the Chief Technology Officer of CCC Information Services Inc. Johar received a master's degree in computer science from Villanova. Learn more here.
  • Psychology M.S. alumnus, Matthew Keller, co-authored a paper with Dr. Michael Brown entitled, “Social influences on spatial location and spatial choice.” The paper was presented at the annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition in Melbourne Beach, Fla.  
  • Bruce Lesh, who earned a master's degree in history at Villanova, is featured in the Carroll Eagle article, "History is no mystery for teacher from Westminster." A history, government, and politics teacher at Franklin High School, Lesh has been given an Excellence in Education award by the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce.
  • Stanton McComb has been appointed president of McKesson Medical-Surgical effective April 1, 2011.McComb earned his BA in Political Science and Business from Villanova in 1992.

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Students In the News

  • Villanova M.S. alumna Katherine Andriole and current M.S. students Shaina Hardesty and Margaret Place coauthored a paper with Michael F. Brown, Ph.D., and Bradley Sturz, Ph.D. (Armstrong Atlantic State University). The paper is entitled, “Precedence of spatial pattern learning revealed by immediate reversal performance." The paper was published in the latest issue of Behavioral Processes.
  • M.S. Psychology students Abigail Bonatsos, Rebecca D’Orazio, and Hilary DeShong co-authored a poster with Professor Rebecca Brand. The title of the poster is What is beautiful is good, even online: Correlations between photo qualities and text qualities in men’s online dating profiles. The poster was presented at the Eastern Psychological Association meeting in March.
  • Psychology M.S. students Teagan Bisbing, Justin Sayde, and Jared Batterman (along with Professor Michael Brown) presented a poster titled, “Follow the learning? Social influence on spatial choice in rats,” at the annual Conference on Comparative Cognition in Melbourne Beach, Fla. Justin Sayde (along with Professor Brown) presented a poster at the same conference entitled, “Skinner box for bees: A testing system for the study of bee learning and cognition.”
  • Three graduate students in the Hispanic Studies Program organized a panel entitled, "Geographies of Self-Discovery: Literature as the Travel Guide for Life," which has been accepted to the Textual Journeys: Departure, Danger, Discovery conference at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, March 24-26, 2011. The papers are: Trevor Boffone: "Surviving the Mental Shipwreck: Palomo's Life-Altering Transformation in Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics"; Sara Cashin: "All Signs Point to Destiny: The Unfolding Plan in The Alchemist"; and Paula Plastic: "Shore Crossing: Literary Healing in Andrés Neuman's Una vez Argentina."
  • Psychology M.S. student Shaina Hardesty co-authored a poster with Professor Rebecca Brand. The title of the poster is Toddler’s difficult temperament predicts television use. The poster was presented in April at the Society for Research in Child Development in Montreal. 
  • Villanova men's lacrosse standout Brian Karalunas has been chosen as the 2010-11 American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by the Conference's Academic Affairs Committee. Learn more here.
  • Jenny Liang and Lauren McDermott, junior computer science majors, will present their research results on connectivity issues in wireless communication networks at the 2011 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, to be held April 3-5 in San Francisco, California. Jenny and Lauren developed an interactive simulation and visualization platform for wireless communication graphs, then successfully used it to determine the signal strength necessary at each wireless node to guarantee full wireless connectivity, subject to a few local constraints. This research project was sponsored by the 2010-2011 Collaborative Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CREU) program of the Computing Research Association Women's Committee (CRA-W). The 2011 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing is the sixth in a series of conferences, its 10-year anniversary. The program includes stellar invited speakers, a student poster competition, a daylong Doctoral Consortium, a session featuring a choice of attractions unique to San Francisco, a gala banquet and dance, and many exciting networking opportunities. Creating a welcoming environment, gathering a community of diverse scholars, and providing the highest quality learning, networking, and social experiences make the "Tapia Conference" the tremendous event that it is. Submitted by Robert Beck, Ph.D., a professor of computing sciences.
  • Kelsey Low, a M.S. student in the Department of Biology, received a student research grant from the American Ornithologists’ Union in May 2011. The award will support Low’s thesis research on plumage brightness in Carolina and black-capped chickadees and their hybrids, mentored by Dr. Robert Curry.
  • Psychology M.S. student Molly McGarvey co-authored a poster with Professor Rebecca Brand. The title of the poster is Utterances used in acoustic packaging are discriminable based on prosody. The poster was presented in April at the Society for Research in Child Development in Montreal.
  • Sean McManus, a Biology major with a Bioengineering minor, has been selected to intern this summer with Jens Karlsson, Ph.D., an associate professor of mechanical engineering, through a partnership with Merck. Learn more here.
  • Estefanía Tocado Orviz's work, "La rebelión de Marina en Todos los gatos son pardos de Carlos Fuentes," was accepted at the 4th Graduate Student Symposium at Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) March 25-26, 2011. She is a graduate student in the Hispanic Studies Program.
  • Kristin Raudonis, a graduate student in Computing Sciences, presented her research results on wireless networks with directional antennas at the International Conference on Combinatorial Optimization and Applications, held December 18-20, 2010, in The Big Island, Hawaii. Under the guidance of her research supervisor, Dr. Mirela Damian, Kristin settled a long standing open problem in computational geometry, showing that a particular neighboring graph is a spanner. This neighboring graph can be realized with directional antennas and therefore can serve as an efficient wireless routing topology. These research results have been recently invited for submission to a special issue of Discrete Mathematics, Algorithms and Applications. Submitted by Mirela Damian, Ph. D., anassociate professor of computing sciences.
  • Psychology M.S. Student, Catherine (Katie) Sanders, was awarded first place for her poster entitled, “Validation of the PAI Internalizing and Externalizing Dimensions with the Five-Factor Model,” which she presented in March, at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment in Cambridge, Mass.
  • Erik Scully, a student in the dual B.S./M.S. program in Biology working under the direction of Dr. Robert Curry, recently received the George W. Barlow Award from the Animal Behavior Society (ABS). ABS gives this award to the top-ranked application in its annual student research grant competition. The grant will support of Scully’s M.S. thesis research on the social ecology of the herbivorous ant-acacia jumping spider in Mexico.
  • Victoria Suwardiman, a junior computer science major, is one of only 50 students nationwide selected to receive a Microsoft Golden Ticket. This entitles her to an all-expense paid trip to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, where she will be given access to Microsoft engineers, visionaries, grassroots innovators, unreleased technology, and networking opportunities. She will learn where new ideas come from, study the breadth and depth of interesting social challenges, and gain perspective of the role of software in solving today’s and tomorrow’s issues. She also has won a travel grant to allow her to attend the 2011 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing. The program includes stellar invited speakers, a student poster competition, a daylong Doctoral Consortium and many exciting networking opportunities. Submitted by Robert Beck, Ph.D., a professor of computing sciences. 
  • Stephanie Wright, a 2010 graduate of Villanova’s M.S. program in Biology, received a student research grant from the American Ornithologists’ Union in May 2011. The award will support a study of song learning in Carolina and black-capped chickadees as part of Wright’s doctoral program at the Ohio State University. Wright is conducting her project in an ongoing collaboration with her M.S. thesis mentor, Dr. Robert Curry.


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Faculty and Staff in the News

  • Lara M. Brown, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science, was among a group of seven political experts who discussed the primary results for a special piece in the New York Times entitled, "Angry Boomers and Other Election Clues." Read the piece here. In addition, Dr. Brown was featured in U.S. News & World Report in an article entitled, "Washington Whispers: Sarah Palin's 2012 Opportunity."
  • Jerusha Conner, Ph.D., an assistant professor of education, co-wrote an editorial in The Notebook, an independent newspaper that covers the Philadelphia School District, entitled, "Reframing Youth and Violence."
  • Robert H. DeFina, Ph.D., a professor of sociology, was featured in the Journal Sentinel in an article entitled, "Faith leaders voice support for unions."
  • Judith Giesberg, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, appeared on the National Geographic Channel’s Civil Warriors series April 11 at 9 p.m. The episode is titled, “Free at Last.” Watch the trailer here. On Friday, April 15, Dr. Giesberg participated in a panel that followed WHYY’s screening of Ken Burn’s Civil War. In addition, Dr. Giesberg visited the Muhlenberg Community Library to discuss, “Lincoln and the Widow Bixby,” on April 14. She also visited the Tredyffrin Public Library to discuss, “Lincoln and the Widow Bixby,” on April 19. The following day, Dr. Giesberg discussed, “Support Your Troops: Conversations on the Civil War Home Front,” at the Philadelphia History Museum. Two of her blogs appeared in the New York Times Disunion blog. Dr. Giesberg also is featured in the article, "From 'Glory' to 'Gone With the Wind,' fascination with Civil War endures," which appeared in the Christian Science Monitor. Her article, "The Most Northern of Southern Cities," appeared in The New York Times on May 22.
  • Edward Guinan, Ph.D., a professor of astronomy and astrophysics, is featured in the National Geographic online: "Big, Hot Planets Are Fountains of Youth."
  • Thomas B. Ksiazek, Ph.D., an assistant professor of communication, recently was featured in a Christian Science Monitor article titled, "New York Times paywall: Savior of journalism or confusing debacle?" He reflected on the potential success of the Times' new pay model and what it means for both news audiences and a struggling print industry.
  • Robert Langran, Ph.D., a professor of political science, was quoted in an article in MSNBC.com on June 21, 2011, entitled, “Wal-Mart ruling raises the bar for class actions.”
  • Eugene McCarraher, Ph.D., an associate professor of humanities, published an article, "The End of Capitalism and the Wellsprings of Radical Hope," in The Nation.
  • Catherine Warrick, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science, was quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer article, "Women's Rights Get Short Shrift in Egypt's Makeover," 18 March 2011.
  • Rebecca Lynn Winer, Ph.D., an associate professor of history; Barbara Wall, special assistant to the Presidentfor Mission Effectiveness and associate professor of philosophy; Jeremy Cooper, student; and Ruth Anolik, Villanova Center for Liberal Education, were featured in a recent article entitled, "Catholic Universities Offer Decidedly Jewish Menu," in a recent issue of the Jewish Exponent.

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In this Issue....

Jean Ann Linney, Ph.D., Appointed Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University

Lauren Shohet, Ph.D., Named First Holder of Luckow Endowed Chair in English

Raka Shome, Ph.D., Named the Inaugural, 2011-2012 Harron Family Endowed Chair in Communication

Congratulations to Faculty Awarded Tenure and Promoted

Kathryn Getek Soltis, S.T.L., Ph.D., Named Director of Center for Peace and Justice Education

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The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to offer to its students, faculty, and staff access to Mideastwire.com, an Internet-based news service that employs a team of translators from around the region to gather important stories from and about the Middle East. Its core product is a daily e-mail newsletter to English speaking subscribers that aggregates key English language stories about the Middle East together with translated Arabic and Persian stories that appear via the print, radio, and television media of the region. 

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The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has partnered with the Financial Times, internationally recognized for its authoritative news, comment, and analysis, to provide students and faculty with full access to the FT’s electronic edition and to FT.com’s Level Two subscription service. This partnership will enable the University to further educate its students on socio-economic and geo-political issues that affect everyone regardless of a student’s major.

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