The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will host a number of important events to take place this semester, including the 8th Annual Literary Festival sponsored by the department of English. (You can read about some of the upcoming events in this e-newsletter. Just scroll down to learn more.) I encourage you to visit the English department’s Web site at http://www.english.villanova.edu/LiteraryFestival/lit_fest.htm to learn more about the guest authors who will be participating in this year’s festival. Special events like the English department’s Literary Festival demonstrate and reinforce the College’s commitment to promote literacy as a foundation for intelligent discourse and the articulation of informed views.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Office of University Admission will host Early Action Candidates’ Day, a day when the best and the brightest high school seniors who have been accepted to Villanova come to campus to learn what the University can offer them. Departmental “open houses” will be held in the afternoon to help prospective students gain further insight into the College’s unique program offerings. I encourage you to use this time wisely; it is an opportunity to show students and their families just what makes the College so special. Feel free to invite your current majors to the open house. Often high school seniors feel more comfortable asking questions of their peers, and what better way to showcase the strength of your department then by having your own exceptional students discuss what it’s like being a student in the College.

As we look to the new semester, I’d like to encourage you to make this e-newsletter truly “yours” by sending your news items, event announcements, and other pertinent information for publication to Kate Szumanski at kathryn.szumanski@villanova.edu for inclusion in our e-newsletter. By doing so, you will reach the broadest audience possible, both within the College and external to it.

And on a final note, I’d like to thank everyone in the Dean’s Office who worked tirelessly to ensure that my absence would not hamper progress on a number of key issues the College is examining. I would particularly like to thank Catherine Hill, Ed.D., who served the College as acting dean. Under her leadership, the College stands poised to begin the new semester with renewed energy. It is my pleasure to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people.

Sincerely,

Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D.
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Save the Dates!

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006 The Office of University Admission will host Early Action Candidates’ Day.

Saturday, April 22, 2006 The Office of University Admission will host Candidates’ Day.

News 

Office of Service Learning Strives to Enhance Program of Service Learning Throughout the Curriculum

The Office of Service Learning in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences opened in November 2005 under the direction of Noreen Cameron, who comes to the College from the Office of Campus Ministry where she served as director of the week-long service experience program. More than 600 students have participated in these week-long service programs in the United States and all over the world.

Noreen, who has been at Villanova for 20 years, also has worked as a nurse in pediatric oncology and hospice. She worked as a lobbyist for Network in Washington, D.C., and did graduate work at the Catholic Theological Union and Villanova.

“I hope to take my expertise to the College in creating programs and experiences where students can use their education to serve the poor,” Noreen said. “It is my hope that students will enhance both their education and the life of the poor as they engage with organizations that serve the poor.”

Graduate Studies Office Relocates to the Second Floor of Kennedy Hall

The Graduate Studies Office for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is now located on the second floor of Kennedy Hall. The staff of the Graduate Studies Office would like to thank Richard McKay of Facilities Services and his staff for all of their efforts to ensure a smooth transition to the new space. The move was accomplished in three days, and the office was in full operation on Tuesday, Nov. 22. An open house invitation will be distributed shortly.

Latest Issue of Academics Magazine Focuses on “Inspired Teaching”

Be sure to visit http://www.vpaa.villanova.edu/magazine/ to read the latest issue of Academics magazine.

Mark Your Calendar for These Upcoming Events

The Department of English Hosts the 8th Annual Literary Festival

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, will be on campus as the first guest speaker for the 8th Annual Literary Festival presented by the Department of English. For a complete listing of authors who will take part in the Literary Festival, please visit http://www.english.villanova.edu/LiteraryFestival/lit_fest.htm.

Other guest authors who will visit campus as part of the Literary Festival include Lawrence Joseph, author of Into It: Poems. He will speak on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Presidents’ Lounge of Connelly Center. Anne Waldman, author of Fast Speaking Woman, will speak on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Lounge of Falvey Memorial Library. Marilyn Nelson, author or Fields of Praise, will speak on Thursday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Presidents’ Lounge of Connelly Center. David Means, author of The Secret Goldfish, will speak on Thursday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Connelly Center Cinema. Kimberly Peirce, author of Boys Don't Cry, will speak on Thursday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Connelly Center Cinema. All events are free and open to the public.

“Augustine and Politics Conference” to be Held on Feb. 23 and 24

The “Augustine and Politics Conference,” an interdisciplinary conference dedicated to studying the political thought of Saint Augustine and commemorating the recently published volume edited by John Doody, Kevin L. Hughes, and Kim Paffenroth, will be held on Feb. 23 and 24. Featured speakers include Todd Breyfogle of the University of Denver; Robert Dodaro, O.S.A., of the Istituto Patristico Augustinianum; and Charles Mathewes of the University of Virginia.

The conference is sponsored by the Core Humanities Program, the Augustinian Institute, the Office of Mission Effectiveness, and the department of political science.

For more information, please visit: http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/corehumanities/augustine_politics.html or contact Gregory Hoskins, conference organizer, at gregory.hoskins@villanova.edu.

The Cultural Film Series Examines “Struggle of the Spirit”

Learn more at The Cultural Film Series Website: http://www.communication.villanova.edu/culturalfilms/struggles.htm

Department of Theatre Stages Prayers of Sherkin from Feb. 7 to 19

The internationally-acclaimed poet, novelist, and playwright Sebastian Barry will spend a semester in residence in the Irish Studies program and work with Villanova Theatre on the staging of Prayers of Sherkin. In this haunting play about a Shaker-like community living in isolation off the coast of Ireland, a young woman from the island falls in love with a shy lithographer from Cork, and must choose between her traditional life on Sherkin Island or a new life – and marriage – on the mainland. The play is directed by James J. Christy.

For more information, please visit http://www.theatre.villanova.edu

The Center for East Asian Studies Publishes Newsletter

Check out the December 2005 issue of the newsletter for the Center for East Asian Studies on the Web at http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/eastasia/CEASNews_Dec05.pdf

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Honors Alumni and Faculty at Annual Awards Dinner

Read all about the College’s annual awards dinner for alumni and graduate faculty, and learn about the award recipients, at: http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/special_events/alumni_medallion_2005.html

Faculty in the News

• Gary S. Meltzer, Ph. D., who is teaching in the Core Humanities program this year, has written a book that is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press: Euripides and The Poetics of Nostalgia. Before coming to Villanova, Dr. Meltzer was associate professor of classics and held an endowed chair at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.
   
• Dr. Rebecca Winer’s book, Women, Wealth and Community in Perpignan, c. 1250-1300: Christians, Jews, and Enslaved Msulims in a Medieval Mediterranean Town, has just been published by Ashgate Press, the prestigious British publisher. A copy of this handsome has arrived in the history department and will be on display in the department’s faculty publication display cases. Dr. Winer is a member of the history department.
   
• Dr. Seth Koven’s book, Slumming, has been awarded the Sonya Rudikoff Memorial Prize for the best first book in Victorian Studies published in 2004. The award was presented by the Northeast Victorian Studies Association. Dr. Koven is a member of the history department.
   
• Adele Lindenmeyr, Ph.D., chair of the history department, has been elected by the membership of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies as a member-at-large of its Board of Directors for 2005-2007. Dr. Lindenmeyr has also been awarded the Graduate Alumni Society Founder’s Award for contributions to the Villanova graduate program.

Do you need help broadening your outreach efforts and publicizing events? Please submit your event information to Kate Szumanski at kathryn.szumanski@villanova.edu. Kate will include it in the next issue of the College’s e-newsletter.

• Looking to Improve your Technical Skills? Take a UNIT Workshop! Visit http://unit.villanova.edu/workshops/calendars/january06.html for a full list of UNIT workshops offered in January.
   
• Web Migration Project – The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will undergo a thorough Web migration to approved UNIT Web standards during the spring 2006 semester. For more information on what you can do to plan for the Web migration, please contact your department chair or supervisor or Chris Driscoll @ Christopher.Driscoll@villanova.edu.