It is affirming and inspiring to learn about the professional accomplishments of the College's alumni. In this issue of the College's e-newsletter, you'll read about the career achievements of four College graduates who are working toward the betterment of society through their chosen fields, which include government service, investment banking, and public relations. Please join me in taking great pride in their fine work.

If you keep in touch with graduates from the College who are living the mission of the College through their work, then we want to hear about it and share your news with the University and world beyond. Luckily, it has never been easier to submit news items and event announcements for inclusion in the College's e-newsletter. Please visit this Web site -- http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/college/newsevents/enewsletter/submit.htm -- complete the online form, and your event and/or news item will be included in the appropriate issue of the College's monthly e-newsletter.

You may also continue to submit news items, event announcements, and article submissions to Kate Szumanski at kathryn.szumanski@villanova.edu. Kate will include your news in future issues of the College's e-newsletter.
Thank you. I wish you a peaceful summer.

Sincerely,

Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D.
Dean of the College

In College News …

The Villanova Center for Liberal Education: Pioneering Interdisciplinary Teaching and Research in the Humanities for Undergraduate Students

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce the creation of the Villanova Center for Liberal Education (VCLE), an innovative academic center dedicated to interdisciplinary teaching, research, and learning in the humanities for undergraduate students. The Center is a place where all Villanova students and faculty can join in the academic conversations that lie at the heart of an Augustinian university in the 21st century.

Chemistry Department Offers New Major in Biochemistry

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce a new Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. Biochemistry was initially defined as the application of chemical principles to the study of problems of biological significance, but has evolved into a separate discipline distinct from chemistry or biology. strong knowledge of biochemistry is especially needed in medicine. Many disease states are caused by the disruption of normal biochemical processes within cells and organisms.

The major consists of 135 total credits (and five free electives), including courses in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, calculus, and physics. Biochemistry is a recommended degree for students considering a career in the allied health fields, or in the pharmaceutical industry. More information about the Biochemistry major can be found on the Chemistry Department Web site: (www.chemistry.villanova.edu/programs/bs-biochemistry.html).

A Compilation of Departmental Self-Studies and Action Plans to Increase Faculty Diversity

The Diversity Sub-Committee of the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to present online this compilation of individual College departments’ self-studies and action plans to increase faculty diversity. All 18 departments plus one program (Geography) submitted reports to the sub-committee. To read the self-studies and action plans, please visit http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/college/about/diversity.htm.

Subscribe Now to the College's E-newsletter

It has never been easier to subscribe to the College's e-newsletter: your colleagues and friends can visit this Web site, complete the online form, and begin receiving the College's monthly e-newsletter in their In-boxes. Please share the online subscription form with anyone you know who may be interested in keeping up to date on College news, special events, and other happenings.

College Launches New Web Site

Have you visited the College's new Web site yet? If not, you are encouraged to check it out and see what is now available on the College's site at http://www.villanova.edu/artsci

Spanish Novelist Antonio Muñoz Molina Awarded Honorary Degree at Graduation

The Spanish novelist Antonio Muñoz Molina was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa during commencement ceremonies. He was introduced to the crowd by Mercedes Juliá, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures.

The author of numerous novels, Antonio Muñoz Molina began writing in the l980s, and his first two novels, Beatus Ille (1986) and El invierno en Lisboa (1987), won him immediate recognition. In l988, he was awarded the National Prize of Literature and the Prize of Criticism in Spain. His following two novels, Beltenebros (1989) and El jinete polaco (1991), won him the prestigious Planeta prize in 1991, as well as again the National Prize of Literature of Spain.

Currently, Antonio Muñoz Molina is the director of the Cervantes Institute in New York City and the youngest member of the Royal Academy of Letters of Spain.

Pictured in the photograph, from left to right, are Dr. Mercedes Juliá; the Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A., president emeritus; Antonio Muñoz Molina, and his wife, Elvira Lindo.

SPC Approves Policy on Joint Appointments

To foster and facilitate interdisciplinary teaching, research, and scholarship, it may be beneficial for individual faculty members to hold academic positions in two different departments within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The benefits that might accrue from such joint appointments include enhancing the professional development of individual faculty members and enriching the educational experiences provided to our undergraduate and graduate students.

Mendel Exhibit Coming to The Academy of Natural Sciences

Villanova University and The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia proudly announce their partnership to present the traveling exhibition, “Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics,” which will visit the Academy at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway from May 28 to September 28, 2008. The exhibition will be available to only five tour venues in the United States through 2008: Philadelphia (Villanova and the Academy of Natural Sciences), Chicago, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and Memphis, Tennessee.

During the exhibition’s Philadelphia tour, all Villanova students, staff, and faculty who present valid identification will receive free general admission to the Academy of Natural Sciences. It is our hope that you will find this special exhibition informative and enjoyable.

For more information about the exhibition, please contact Kate Szumanski at kathryn.szumanski@villanova.edu.

Core Humanities Seminar Renamed Augustine and Culture: The Villanova Seminar

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce Augustine and Culture: The Villanova Seminar as the new name of the Core Humanities Seminar, the innovative academic seminar and writing program for undergraduate first-year and transfer students that introduces them to the thought of St. Augustine and places it into conversations with other primary voices in the liberal arts tradition. For full story, please visit: http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/corehumanities/Augustine and Culture.html

Joint Research Presented at International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

The research work based on jointly supervised independent study of graduate student Srinidhi Jayasuryan by Dr. Vijay Gehlot (Computing Sciences) and Dr. Anil Bamezai (Biology) was presented at BIOCOMP'06, the 2006 International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Las Vegas, Nevada, (June 26-29, 2006). The paper is titled "Petri Net Based Model of the T Cell Receptor Signaling Pathway." Intracellular signaling pathways as well as the interactions and coordination that exist among them are complex and difficult to visualize and understand. Computer-based models of such pathways can aid in understanding the mechanics of their operation. Such models allow the display and manipulation of the network of interacting components.

Faculty in the News

• Jim McGann, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science and senior fellow and director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will speak on the topic of "Think Tanks and Policy Advice in Developing and Transitional Countries," at the invitation of the Hewlett Foundation later this month. Dr. McGann's new book, Academics, Advisors, and Advocates: Think Tanks and Policy Advice in the U.S., will be published this fall by Routledge. In addition, six A&S students are serving as interns this summer at the Foreign Policy Research Institute with Dr. McGann.

Students in the News

• Candice Kilbride, a graduate assistant in the Department of Education and Human Services, presented a paper titled, "Creating Sociological Thinkers: The High School Sociology Course," at the National Technology and Social Science Conference sponsored by the national Social Science Association. The paper won first place in the graduate student category. As a result, it was published in the National Social Science Journal.

Alumni in the News

• Mark DeFusco, who earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, has been named the Managing Director of Berkery, Noyes & Co., LLC, a leading independent investment bank providing mergers and acquisitions services to the global information, publishing, and IT sectors.
   
• John Emling '91, who earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science, was appointed by the President of the United States as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. Mr. Emling recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs for Tax and Budget at the Department of the Treasury.
   
• Linda Krebs '04, who earned a bachelor of arts degree in communication, has been elected to the Board of Directors of New York Women in Communication, Inc. She will serve as co-vice president of the NYWICI Student Affairs Committee. In addition, Krebs received the President's Award from the Public Relations Society of America's New York (PRSA-NY) Chapter. Krebs is an account executive at Bridge Global Strategies, an international public relations agency, in New York City.
   
• Katie Metcalf '05, has been hired by the Council on Foreign Relations as a program associate. She will be working in the membership and fellows department where she will help organize programs for CFR members who age 30 to 36 who are emerging leaders in world affairs.

IT Corner

• Update Your Biography on the Web – As part of the College's ongoing Web migration process, all faculty and staff members in the College are asked to assemble basic biographical data on themselves and input it into a simple online form, known by UNIT as the BIO TOOL, as soon as possible. This is the information about you that will be displayed on your department's new Web site (when it is completed). Please visit this Web site and fill in the appropriate line items. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. http://vuws.villanova.edu/bio/edit

Send Your News Items and Event Notices for Publication

Do you need help broadening your outreach efforts, publicizing events, and getting the word out about the accomplishments of your faculty? Please submit your announcements or events via our online submission form or directly to Kate Szumanski at kathryn.szumanski@villanova.edu. Kate will include it in the next issue of the College’s e-newsletter.