From su-infocus at southwestern.edu Thu Nov 1 15:43:54 2007 From: su-infocus at southwestern.edu (su-infocus@southwestern.edu) Date: Thu Nov 1 15:45:28 2007 Subject: [InFocus] In Focus Nov. 2 Message-ID: <472A3A8A.8090604@southwestern.edu> IN FOCUS: November 2, 2007 * TOP NEWS * *CALENDAR* SOUTHWESTERN PROFESSOR FORMS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION TO KEEP TIBETAN LANGUAGE ALIVE *CAMPUS CALENDAR * To view upcoming events at Southwestern by day, week or month, click here . As a graduate student working on her Ph.D. in Chinese literature, Patricia Schiaffini made several trips to Tibet to learn more about Tibetan authors. During these visits to Tibet, she also learned something else: that many Tibetans were becoming less and less fluent in their own language because they tended to speak more Chinese in day-to-day life. She also learned that there were very few children's books written in Tibetan. "Tibetan children are losing their own language and their own culture because they don't have resources in their own language," says Schiaffini, who now teaches Chinese as a part-time assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Southwestern. When she returned to the United States after completing her dissertation research in 1999, Schiaffini started to brainstorm ways that she could help the people of Tibet, but it was not until she had her own children that she realized exactly how important children's books really are. Read the rest of the story here . To see pages from some of the books Schiaffini has published, click here . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOUTHWESTERN TO FIELD THREE TEAMS AT PROGRAMMING CONTEST Three teams of students from Southwestern have been preparing for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) South Central Regional Programming Contest. The regional round of competition will move on to the 32nd annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, sponsored by IBM. The regional round of competition is on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Texas A&M University, and teams from nine other Texas universities will be competing. Teams of three students will be challenged to use their programming skills and rely on their mental endurance to solve complex problems under a five-hour deadline. The team that answers the most problems correctly in the least amount of time will advance to the world finals in Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada, next April. In preparation for the contest, the students have been practicing every Friday afternoon for weeks. Richard Denman, associate professor of math and computer science, is coaching the three student teams from Southwestern. On team "su root," Stephen Foster, Tommy Rogers and Bob Potter will compete. Students Carl West, Nathan Lindzey and Michael Party will compete for team "su equipo." The last team, "su pirata informatico," is made up of Sarah Doty, Lane Hill and Nick Ashford. EVENTS HOMECOMING 2007 Southwestern will celebrate Homecoming & Reunion Weekend this weekend, November 2-4. Visit http://www.southwestern.edu/homecoming/ for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DISABILITY PROJECT STARTING NOV. 7 The Theatre Department and the Theatre for Social Justice Student Organization presents "The Disability Project: A Mystical Quest to Slay Normalcy," created, written, directed and performed by a collective of Southwestern students and faculty. The show will be performed through a walking tour of the campus on a quest to question and "slay" ideas of normalcy. The tour will be performed Wednesday, Nov. 7, to Sunday, Nov. 11, starting in the lobby of the Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Hones Theatre. The tours will begin on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, at 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. For more information about this project, click here . MEDIA COVERAGE . The /Williamson County Sun /ran a story about Southwestern's new grant from the Mellon Foundation for faculty enrichment. . The /United Methodist Reporter /ran President Jake B. Schrum's column about students and the environment. . The /Williamson County Sun /ran a feature story on the career of Drusilla Huffmaster Anderson, who served as a professor of piano at Southwestern from 1961 to 1988. NOTABLES *Edward L. Kain*, professor of sociology, served on the site review team for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Gettysburg College Oct. 22-24. Other members of the review team were from Bowdoin College, Hamilton College and North Carolina State University. *Mary Grace Neville*, assistant professor of business and Paideia? professor, presented a paper titled "No Student Left Behind: Rethinking Our Approach to Management Education" at the 15th annual Institute of Behavioral and Applied Management conference. At the same conference, Neville was awarded the organization's "Best Reviewer" commendation for pre-conference participation in the blind, peer review process leading to the selection and development of conference papers. *Suzy Pukys*, coordinator of civic engagement, received an award for education at the 5th annual Hope Alliance Leadership Luncheon. In addition, student *Kathryn Haskin *received an award for the Hope Alliance Volunteer of the Year. The Hope Alliance of Williamson County is a program dedicated to preventing and raising awareness about domestic violence. *Michael Wolfe*, part-time assistant professor of English, has written a story that will be featured in the current issue of Menda City Review. His story is titled "I'll Pay You Back When I Get Home." Read the story at http://www.mendacitypress.com/11.2007Wolfe.html. This October issue of Teaching Sociology includes an article co-authored by a Southwestern faculty member and three alumni from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The article is titled "Sociology in Two-Year Institutions." The article reports on analyses of college catalog listings at over 100 two-year institutions across the United States. It is co-authored by *Edward L. Kain*, professor of sociology, *Alexandra O. Hendley* '06, who is in the Ph.D. program in sociology at UC-Santa Barbara, *Lauren R. Contreras* '07, who is an Americorps member at College Forward in Austin, and *Krystal K. Wyatt-Baxter* '06, who is in the Ph.D. program in sociology at The University of Texas at Austin. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.southwestern.edu/pipermail/su-infocus/attachments/20071101/c11c412f/attachment.htm From su-infocus at southwestern.edu Thu Nov 8 16:33:46 2007 From: su-infocus at southwestern.edu (su-infocus@southwestern.edu) Date: Thu Nov 8 16:35:23 2007 Subject: [InFocus] In Focus Message-ID: <47338ECA.2000500@southwestern.edu> IN FOCUS: November 9, 2007 * TOP NEWS * *CALENDAR* RENOVATED FINE ARTS CENTER REOPENS FOR CLASSES, PERFORMANCES *CAMPUS CALENDAR * To view upcoming events at Southwestern by day, week or month, click here . After two and half years of work and more than $10 million, Southwestern's Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center reopens this weekend -- just in time for a flurry of holiday performances. The renovations included a complete makeover of the Alma Thomas Theatre, which was originally built in the 1950s. The theatre was totally gutted and rebuilt to provide additional storage space, a real orchestra "pit" and all new seats, in addition to new lighting and sound systems. Handicapped access has been improved throughout the theatre. To read the rest of the story, go here . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2007-08 KING CREATIVITY AWARDS ANNOUNCED Is it possible to write and produce a play in 24 hours? Can solar heat be used to operate a refrigerator? These are just some of the topics students will explore thanks to funding from the 2007-08 King Creativity Program. The King Creativity Program was started in 2000 with an endowment provided by Southwestern alumnus W. Joseph "Joey" King. Each year, the endowment fund supports up to 20 "innovative and visionary projects" of enrolled students. This year, 11 projects were funded for a total of $21,224. To read the rest of the story, go here . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOUTHWESTERN TEAM PLACES RECORD HIGH AT ETHICS MATCH Southwestern students Karin Arnhamn, Christy Catlin, Sara Escjeda and Jon Jonse, led by Mary Grace Neville, assistant professor of business and Paideia? professor, traveled to Fort Worth Nov. 1-2 to participate in the 4th annual Ethics Debate Match sponsored by the Texas Independent College Foundation. Out of 20 competing teams, the team placed fourth overall and second in their division. This was Southwestern's first time to place at the event. The students received two trophies as well as a $500 check for Southwestern to conduct forums, debates and dialogue on campus about business ethics and social responsibility. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOUTHWESTERN WEB SITE REDESIGN PROCESS BEGINS NEXT WEEK The redesign of Southwestern's Web site will get under way next week with a three-day visit from White Whale Web Services, the company selected to manage the site redesign process. Company representatives will meet with selected student, faculty, staff and alumni representatives throughout the day on Monday through Wednesday. Two open sessions have been scheduled on Wednesday for anyone who would like to drop by and provide input on what they think Southwestern's next Web site should look like. The open sessions will be held from noon to 1 p.m. and from 3-5 p.m. in the Dan Rather Room, which is located in the back of the Commons. EVENTS WIND ENSEMBLE PERFORMS NOV. 10 The Sarofim School of Fine Arts presents the SU Wind Ensemble in concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, conducted by Lois Ferrari. The program will feature Galop from "Moscow Cheremushky" by Dmitri Shostakovich, "Resting in the Peace of His Hands" by John Gibson, "My Jesus, Oh What Anguish!" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Wind Dancer" by Jared Spears and "Dies Natalis" by Howard Hanson. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DANCE PERFORMANCE SET FOR NOV. 15-16 The Sarofim School of Fine Arts will present the work of Southwestern's choreographers and dancers Nov. 15-16 at 7 p.m. in the newly refurbished Alma Thomas Theater. Directed by Judy Thompson-Price, the Dance Repertory Theater will feature different types of dance. This event is free and open to the public. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SAROFIM SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS EXHIBIT The Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Department of Art, presents American Modernist sculptor Bruce Beasley, exhibiting his latest sculptures in bronze at the Fine Arts Gallery in The Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center. The exhibit will be available from Nov. 1 through Dec. 9. There will be a reception with the artist on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Fine Arts Gallery. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. MEDIA COVERAGE . The /Williamson County Sun/ ran a feature story on Southwestern's police department. . /University Business/ magazine included Southwestern in an article about how some schools are finding ways to incorporate the liberal arts into business programs. Read the article at http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=895 NOTABLES *Aaron Prevots*, assistant professor of French, presented a paper titled "Transcribing Sacred Moments: The Writer as Watchperson in Jacques R?da's Europes" at the 105th annual Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association conference. Prevots also has added MP3s and articles to his educational web-site, "French through Songs and Singing" (http://www.southwestern.edu/~prevots/songs/ ), which had 42,000 user "hits" in October. *Carl Robertson*, assistant professor of Chinese, has had an article accepted by the Tamkang Review, a comparative literature journal published in Taipei, Taiwan, titled, "Untangling the Allegory: The Genuine and the Counterfeit in Xiyou zhengdao shu (The book to enlightenment of the journey west)" to be published in December. Roberston also was recently elected as board member of CLTA-TX (Chinese Language Teachers Association - Texas), facilitating language teaching in public, private and higher education in the state of Texas. Board members serve for two years. Robertson also recently participated in the ACS China Initiative Meeting held at Rollins College in Florida on Oct. 20 to discuss ways in which China-related programs can be coordinated among ACS schools, including ideas for a China Center with services for faculty, students and alumni. Junior *Justin Thurman* presented his research paper titled "The Printed Voice" at the 2007 Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference. The conference was held in Akron, Ohio, Oct. 11-13. Thurman gave a podium presentation in the session titled "Appropriation and Non-Shakespearean Renaissance Writing." Thurman received a grant from the Mundy Fund in the maximum amount for travel and conference expenses. The paper was the result of research done with *Michael Saenger*, professor of English literature. The conference attracted international scholars, and Thurman was the only undergraduate presenting. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.southwestern.edu/pipermail/su-infocus/attachments/20071108/c18464aa/attachment.htm From su-infocus at southwestern.edu Thu Nov 15 15:11:05 2007 From: su-infocus at southwestern.edu (su-infocus@southwestern.edu) Date: Thu Nov 15 15:12:44 2007 Subject: [InFocus] In Focus Message-ID: <473CB5E9.9060605@southwestern.edu> IN FOCUS: November 16, 2007 * TOP NEWS * *CALENDAR* KINESIOLOGY STUDENTS CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR NASA *CAMPUS CALENDAR * To view upcoming events at Southwestern by day, week or month, click here . Southwestern seniors Lauren Arrowood, Ben Hoffman and Eric Sterner are getting a unique opportunity this year -- the chance to conduct a real study for NASA. The three kinesiology students are completing a senior capstone project that evolved from a field trip in their tissue biomechanics class to the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in the spring of 2007. A highlight of the trip came with a visit to the laboratory where Hoffman's stepfather trains astronauts on the exercise equipment currently in use onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The students were able to get hands-on experience with this equipment, providing a better understanding of the unique challenges faced by exercising astronauts. Conversations with scientists in NASA's Exercise Physiology Laboratory about the limitations of exercise on the ISS led to the development of a project to investigate the consequences of running on a treadmill that is dramatically smaller than traditional treadmills. When the students returned this fall, they immediately began planning and implementing the study under the guidance of Scott McLean, an associate professor of kinesiology at Southwestern. Read the rest of the story here . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GREGORY AND FLATAU GARNER COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS Southwestern head men's and women's soccer coaches Don Gregory and Jack Flatau were both selected as Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Coaches of the Year on Nov. 14. Gregory led the Southwestern men's team to its second consecutive second-place finish in the SCAC this year. The men's team has also finished in the top three in the conference for four of the last five seasons. Flatau has built the Southwestern women's soccer program into a consistent winner over the last decade, culminating this season with a second-place finish in the SCAC -- the highest-ever finish for the SU women since joining the conference in 1994. This is the first time for both coaches to earn Coach of the Year honors. EVENTS MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS PRESENTED BY THE SAROFIM SCHOOL The Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Department of Music, will present MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. on the Academic Mall in front of the Lois Perkins Chapel. In case of rain, the event will be held inside the chapel. This will be the first annual TUBACHRISTMAS in Georgetown. The guest conductor is Charles Aguillon of the Georgetown Independent School District. Every TUBACHRISTMAS performance features traditional Christmas carols especially arranged for the first TUBACHRISTMAS in 1974 in New York City. For more information, contact Eileen Meyer Russel, at 512-863-1732 or russelle@southwestern.edu. This event is free and open to the public. MEDIA COVERAGE . The /Williamson County Sun/ ran a story about the Best Buddies program, in which Southwestern students work with local youths who have disabilities. . /Community Impact News /ran a story about the changing face of Southwestern's campus. Read the story at http://www.impactnewspaper.com/www/docs/443.2104 . The /Williamson County Sun/ ran a story about the death of former Dean of Students William Swift. . The /Williamson County Sun/ ran a story about the re-opening of the Alma Thomas Theatre. . The John Tower archives at Southwestern are mentioned in a Nov. 14 /New York Times /story about the recent discovery of a letter written by Lee Harvey Oswald to John Tower. Read the story at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/washington/14letters.html?_r=1&oref=slogin NOTABLES Southwestern voice students and music faculty participated in the annual National Association of Teachers of Singing, Texoma Region, convention and vocal competition, held this year at Southern Methodist University Nov. 8-10. Five student singers received "excellent" ratings and were thus advanced to the semifinal round of competition in their respective age categories. These singers were first year women *Brooke Lyssy* and *Morgan Mingle*, junior *Erin McHugh* and senior women *Emily Price* and *Dolores Noel*. Lyssy is a student of *Oliver Worthington*, assistant professor of music, while Mingle, McHugh, Price and Noel are students of *Carol Kreuscher*, assistant professor of music. All singers were accompanied by *Kiyoshi Tamagawa*, professor of music. Professor of Art *Mary Visser* delivered the opening remarks for the SCULPTURE NUM?RIQUE ET BIOMORPHISME conference held in Nancy, France, where she also presented her research in sculpture for the SCULPTURE NUM?RIQUE ET BIOMORPHISME and SCULPTURE ET MATHEMATIQUES held in Paris and Nancy, France, for the "Scientifique Artistes du Symposium 2007 et de la 5?me DSC." Professor Visser also had four sculptures in the exhibition SCULPTURE NUM?RIQUE ET BIOMORPHISME held at the D?partement de Meurthe-et-Moselle 48, rue du Sergent Blandan, 54000 Nancy, Lorraine, France. The artwork in this exhibition can be viewed at http://www.pimkey.com/%7Einterscu/sculptbio/sculptbio2007.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.southwestern.edu/pipermail/su-infocus/attachments/20071115/eff03e15/attachment.htm From su-infocus at southwestern.edu Thu Nov 29 16:35:34 2007 From: su-infocus at southwestern.edu (su-infocus@southwestern.edu) Date: Thu Nov 29 16:37:13 2007 Subject: [InFocus] In Focus Message-ID: <474F3EB6.6010203@southwestern.edu> IN FOCUS: November 30, 2007 * TOP NEWS * *CALENDAR* TWO RECEIVE SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY MEDAL *CAMPUS CALENDAR * To view upcoming events at Southwestern by day, week or month, click here . Southwestern recently awarded one of its highest honors, the Southwestern University Medal, to two of its outstanding supporters -- 1963 graduate Joe Seeber of Hewitt and University Historian William B. Jones of Georgetown. The medals recognize outstanding contributions to the university for either service or philanthropy. The medals were presented Nov. 3 at a ceremony held during this year's Homecoming and Reunion weekend. For the rest of the story, click here . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION PROFESSOR RECEIVES TEACHING AWARD Jacqueline Muir-Broaddus, a professor of psychology and education at Southwestern, has been selected to receive the 2007 Exemplary Teaching Award from the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church. Each year the Board allows the university to designate one teacher to receive this award. Criteria for receiving the award include excellence in teaching; civility and concern for students and colleagues; commitment to value-centered education; and service to students, the institution and the community. Muir-Broaddus has taught psychology and education at Southwestern since 1990. She currently serves as chair of the Psychology Department and chair of the Division of Social Sciences. "Jacquie is a wonderful teacher and scholar," said Provost Jim Hunt. "She also has done outstanding work as a department chair and division chair." Previous recipients of the award include Eric Selbin, Dan Hilliard, LaVonne Neal, Traci Giuliano, Suzanne Buchele and Dirk Early. EVENTS SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY OPERA THEATER NOV. 30 AND DEC. 1 The Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Department of Music, presents the Southwestern University Opera Theatre, directed by Bruce Cain and accompanied by pianist David Utterback, in a performance of "Die Fledermaus." Performances will be on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30, and Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Alma Thomas Theater. For more information, call The Sarofim School of Fine Arts at 863-1379. This opera performance is free and open to the public. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL DEC. 1-2 The Sarofim of School of Fine Arts, Department of Theatre, presents Seussical the musical. Performances will be Dec. 1-2, at 3 p.m. in the Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones Theater. Call the Jones Theater Box Office to reserve seats. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA DEC. 2 The Sarofim School of Fine Arts presents the Southwestern University Orchestra conducted by Lois Ferrari on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m in the Alma Thomas Theater. Sunday evening's program will be feature works by Eugene Bozza, Darius Milhaud, Howard Hanson and Georges Bizet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SAROFIM SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS RECITAL The Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Department of Music, presents "No?l, a Classical Birthday Celebration" by harpist Delaine Fedson in a faculty recital at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 3, in the Alma Thomas Theater. The recital will feature a holiday repertoire, including solo and chamber works by Marcel Samuel-Rousseau and Benjamin Britten. MEDIA COVERAGE . The /Austin American-Statesman/ ran an article about Bill Jones and Joe Seeber receiving the Southwestern University Medal. . The /Williamson County Sun/ ran a story about the "Tuba Christmas" that will be held at Southwestern Dec. 1. . The /Williamson County Sun /ran a story about Buddhist leader Lama Ole Nydeahl visiting Southwestern. . The /Arlington Star-Telegram/ ran a feature story on Southwestern student Nadia Alareksoussi, who gave up last summer to be a bone marrow donor. Read the story here . .Southwestern is mentioned as one of "Colleges That Change Lives" in a blog post by /USA Today/ higher education writer Mary Beth Marklein. Read her story here . NOTABLES *Michael Cooper*, associate professor of music and holder of the Margarett Root Brown Chair, presented a paper at an international conference titled "Lebenswelten / Musikwelten: Die Rolle der Musik im j?dischen Akkulturationsprozess" (Worlds of Life / Worlds of Music: The Role of Music in the Process of Jewish Acculturation) sponsored by the Hochschule f?r Musik und Theater in Hamburg, Germany, Nov. 8-11. Cooper's paper was titled "Tolerieren -- Akkzeptieren -- Anerkennen: Die "?bersetzungen" Goethes und Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdys als Beispiele des Akkulturations- und Toleranzdiskurses" (Tolerate -- Accept -- Recognize: The "Translations" of Goethe and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy as Examples of the Discourse of Acculturation and Tolerance). *Ben Pierce*, professor of biology and holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair, published an article in the November 2007 issue of The American Biology Teacher titled "Illustrating Probability in Genetics with Hands-On Learning: Making the Math Real." President *Jake B. Schrum* contributed to a new book titled "Leading from within - Poetry that sustains the courage to lead." Schrum wrote a reflection to accompany a poem by Marge Piercy titled "The seven of pentacles." Schrum used that poem to close his inaugural address in 2000. *Eric Selbin*, professor of political science, published a chapter "Stories of Revolution in the Periphery," in John Foran, David Lane and Andreja Zivkovic, eds., Revolution in the Making of the Modern World: Social Identities, Globalization and Modernity. Selbin also published an article "Making the World New: Latin American Studies After the Washington Consensus," in the Latin American Studies Forum. The article can be read online here . Art majors *Lauren Cardenas* in painting and *Laura Bishop* in sculpture won top honors in the Central Texas Art Competition and another Southwestern art major, *Jaymie Teakell,* received an honorable mention from among 450 entries from the central Texas region. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.southwestern.edu/pipermail/su-infocus/attachments/20071129/cd241964/attachment.htm