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Letter from the Dean
Dear Friends of the College,
With mid-term
examinations beginning Friday, our faculty and students are diligently
at work preparing for them and the rest of the semester. This close and ongoing collaboration between
student and faculty in part defines what the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is
all about. As St. Augustine wrote in The Instruction of Beginners XII, 17:
“So great is the influence of a sympathetic mind that our students are
affected by us as we teach and we by them as they learn. Thus we come to
dwell in each other; they speak within us what they hear, while we learn in
them what we teach.”
This idea permeates the intellectual climate of the College,
which remains dedicated to fostering a community of scholars
based upon the words of St. Augustine for all of those -- students, faculty,
and staff -- engaged in the rich academic life of our University.
The Office of
Advising and Professional Development in the College is hosting a series
of very special
panel discussions featuring College alumni who are generously giving of
their time and speaking on campus to our current students on the value and
meaning of the education they received at Villanova. You can learn more
about the panel discussions
here.
In order to keep our students better informed of all the wonderful learning opportunities available in
the College and throughout the entire University, we have created
Connections, an
e-newsletter designed to share with our students critical information
related to academic advising; fellowships, grants, and scholarships;
internships and professional development; and other related matters. We hope
that our students find
Connections useful as they plan their academic and professional
futures.
Thank you for continuing to read the
College's e-newsletter. We appreciate your continued interest in the
life of the
College.
Sincerely,
Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D.
Dean of the College
In College News …
Humanities Department Explores "Building the
University: The Lost Language of Campus Design," Invites Students to Learn
More About a Humanities Major or Minor
The
Department of Humanities invites you to attend a lecture titled,
"Building the University: The Lost Language of Campus Design," on Wednesday,
March 21, at 4 p.m., in Bartley 1011. Dr. Philip Bess, a visiting professor
of architecture from the University of Notre Dame, will deliver the lecture.
To learn more about Dr. Bess and this upcoming special event, please visit
the
Humanities Department on the Web.
If you are interested in learning more about the
Department of
Humanities and are considering majoring or minoring in Humanities, then
please make plans to attend a
Student
Reception on Wednesday, March 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Holy Grounds
of Falvey Memorial Library. Light refreshments will be provided. Come meet
the Humanities faculty and current Humanities majors!
Learn more
here ...
Department of Chemistry Hosts Annual Silvestri
Lectureship
 The
Department of Chemistry cordially invites you to attend the annual
Anthony J. and Heand Johns Silvestri Lectureship on on Tuesday, March
20, at 4:30 p.m. in the Jenkins Lecture Hall (101 Mendel Science Center).
This year's lecture will feature Dr. Ronald L. Magolda '76 (chemistry and
general science), vice president of medicinal chemistry for neuroscience and
vice president for women's health, at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. The topic of
Dr. Magolda's lecture will be: "Discovery
of Novel Nuclear Hormone Receptor Ligands."
Dr. Magolda’s research centers on the discovery and development of novel
therapeutics. He has developed pharmaceuticals for the treatment of
inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis,
psoriasis, organ transplantation, and asthma; neurological disease including
Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, and pain; Woman’s health
including contraception and osteoporosis; and cardiovascular disease,
concentrating on atheroscledonerosis.
For more information on the lecture, please visit the
Department of Chemistry on the Web.
Falvey Memorial Library Encourages Community to
Attend Public Events
Falvey
Memorial Library welcomes everyone to attend the many upcoming public
events and ongoing exhibits being hosted in the library. Many departments
and programs in the College use the first-floor lounge in
Falvey as
the location for their events. The attractive, multi-use space is a very
welcome addition to campus. The College thanks the Library for its
generosity in sharing the space.
For a full list of upcoming events and ongoing exhibits, please visit the
Library on the
Web.
Villanova Center for Liberal Education Prepares for
Official Opening Ceremonies
The mission of the
Villanova Center for Liberal Education (VCLE) is to advance
interdisciplinary studies in the liberal arts and sciences in such a way as
to enhance the participation of all Villanova — the student body, our own
Institute faculty, and faculty in other departments — in the intellectual
life central to an Augustinian university.
VCLE accomplishes this mission in two primary ways: teaching the Augustine
and Culture Villanova Seminar, a two-semester introduction to the liberal
arts and the thought of Saint Augustine required for all first-year
students, and fostering conversations among faculty and students, and across
the disciplines, on topics central to the liberal arts and sciences,
particularly about the “books for all time” which have shaped the great
civilizations of the world.
The Center will celebrate its
official opening on Monday, April 16, at 4 p.m. in the first floor
lounge of Falvey Memorial Library with a guest presentation by Dr. Charles
Dougherty, president of Duquesne University, whose talk is entitled,
"Death and Taxes."
For a complete rundown of the
cultural events sponsored by the
VCLE this semester, please visit
VCLE on the Web. Even more
upcoming events can be found
here.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Partners with
the Financial Times
Providing Students With Global
Perspectives on World Events
 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.
How To Access the Financial Times Online
There are many ways to access the FT online:
Students to Participate in National Conference on
Undergraduate Research
Eight students have had their abstracts accepted to the
21st National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), which will
take place April 12-14, 2007, at the
Dominican University of
California. These students either are completing their Honors theses or
are supported by the College's
Undergraduate Research Program. For more information, please visit the
NCUR on the Web.
Department of English Sponsors Annual
Literary Festival
The English Department's
annual
Literary Festival takes place this semester. Featured authors
include:
Mark
Doty (poet, memoirist), whose books of poetry include School of the
Arts, Source, Atlantis, and My Alexandria (chosen for the
National Poetry Series by Philip Levine);
Rosellen
Brown (novelist), author of The Autobiography of My Mother, Tender
Mercies, Civil Wars, Half a Heart, and (most recently) the critically
acclaimed and best-selling Before and After; and
Marilyn
Chin (poet), author of Rhapsody in Plain Yellow, The Phoenix Gone,
The Terrace Empty, and Dwarf Bamboo.
For more information on the Literary Festival, please visit the
English
Department.
Drew Eckman '07 Named
Big East/Aéropostale Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Senior track and field captain,
Drew Eckman, has been named the 2006-07 Big East/Aéropostale Male
Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This award recognizes student-athletes who
excel on the field, as well as in the classroom. Drew is a senior biology
major. Read more about Drew
here.
As a biology major, Eckman hopes to attend dental school after graduation
to continue his studies. He currently boasts a cumulative grade point
average of 3.618 and is a three-time Big East Academic All-Star. He has also
garnered regional Academic All-America honors and has attained a spot on the
Dean's List for every one of his semesters at Villanova. In addition, the
Oxford, Pa., native is an active member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Honor
Society for pre-med and pre-dental students.
2007 Summer Trip to China
Interested in traveling to China this summer? Click
here to learn more.
2007 Summer Trip to Spain
Interested in traveling to Spain this summer? Click
here to learn more.
Save the Dates!
Please mark your calendars for these important events:
Mid-term Recess
March 5 to 11
Easter Recess Begins
Wednesday, April 4
Candidates' Day Saturday, April 14
Mendel Medal Award Lecture Saturday, April 28
Please click
here for the complete academic calendar.
Event Round-up
Be sure to visit the
College's home
page for a more complete and up-to-date rundown of upcoming events!
Make Plans to Attend an Upcoming Lecture: Augustine on Forbearance and
Toleration
Professor John Bowlin from the University of Tulsa will speak about
"Augustine on Forbearance and Toleration" on Friday, March 16, at 4 p.m.
in the first floor lounge of Falvey Memorial Library. The event is sponsored
by Dr. James Wetzel, the Augustinian Endowed Chair in the Thought of St.
Augustine. For more information, please call the
Augustinian
Institute at 94780, or visit its
Web site.
Center for Peace and Justice Education Sponsors Series of Events
The
Center for Peace and Justice Education is sponsoring many events this
semester. For a full rundown of the events, please visit the
Center
on the Web.
Chemistry Department Hosts Seminar Series
The Chemistry Department is hosting a series of seminars this semester. For more information, including
dates, times, and locations, please visit the
Chemistry Department on the Web.
2007 Spring Cultural Film Series Examines "Forgiveness"
Be sure to visit the
2007 Spring Cultural Film Series schedule on the Web to learn more about
the films making up this semester's series.
An Extensive Program of Events Marks the 2006-2007 Series in
Anthropology
Looking Into Culture: The 2006-2007 Series in Anthropology features a number
of events planned throughout the spring semesters. For
more information on all of these events, please visit the
series' Web site.
Women's Studies Calendar of Events Posted on the Web
Make plans to attend one of the many events being sponsored by
Women's Studies.
Five events are planned in March, including, “'My Ethnic Identity is What
Anchors Me Wherever I Go': Performing Somali Identity in Maine," "War Rape,"
"Vampires in Caribbean Literature," and a panel discussion, “The Role of
Women Studies (and Women) at Villanova University.”
The Ethics Program Sponsors "Ethics for Lunch" Series of Events
"Ethics for Lunch" will examine the following topics:
“Ethics in
the Classroom: Student Behavior”; “Are Your Praying for Peace but Paying for
War?”;
“See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil: Sexual Health Issues on a
Catholic Campus”; and “Global
Poverty, Consumption, and Environmental Footprints.” For more
information, please visit the
Ethics
Program.
Center for Arab and Islamic Studies Celebrates Egypt's Nobel Laureate,
Naguib Mahfouz, April 3-17
The Center for Arab
and Islamic Studies has planned a series of events to celebrate Egypt's
Nobel Laureate, Naguib Mahfouz. For more information about these events,
please click here.
Ethics Program to Sponsor an Interdisciplinary Conference and
Inaugurate an Award in Professional Ethics
The Ethics Program
will sponsor an interdisciplinary conference -- Contemporary Ethical
Problems in Engineering Practice: A Dialogue -- May 31 to June 2, 2007. In
addition, the Ethics Program will inaugurate the Praxis Award in
Professional Ethics on March 28, 2007. This award will highlight and
celebrate the contributions of a professional or an academic in the field of
professional ethics. For more information on the many activities planned by the Ethics Program, please visit the program's
Web site.
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.
To learn more about the exhibit, please visit
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/mendel/. For more information, please contact
Kate Szumanski.
Students in the News
- Psychology student Camille Barnes recently attended the
annual conference for the Society of Personality and Social Psychology
in Memphis. At this conference, she presented a paper she co-authored
with Patrick M. Markey, Ph.D., an assistant professor of
psychology, and graduate student Sara Lowmaster entitled, “The person or
the situation? Predicting behaviors in an interpersonal interaction.”
- Senior history major David Heayn’s independent research
project, "Nessana: Early Religious Borders in a Lost Kingdom", has been
accepted for an oral presentation at the 21st National Conference on
Undergraduate Research at Dominican University of California on April 12
- 14, 2007.
Learn more here.
- Eric Riviello, a student majoring in history and political
science, co-authored “March Madness: A Case in Applied Ethics” with
Sally J. Scholz, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy. This article is
based on the case of students selling the basketball tickets they
received for free during the lottery system in use in 2005-06. The
article is forthcoming in Teaching Philosophy.
Faculty in the News
- Bill Cowen,
communication faculty and director of the
Villanova Communication Alumni Network (VCAN) and public relations
program, has won a prestigious Gold Award for media relations and
publicity from the MarCom Creative Awards. This annual international
competition, sponsored by the Association of Marketing and Communication
Professionals, received more than 5,000 entries worldwide.
Cowen won for the campaign he and his agency, Center City-based
Metrospective Communications, conducted for the “Scent is Life” exhibit
premiere on behalf of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, the world’s
preeminent institute for taste and smell research. Cowen’s campaign also
previously won the Ladle Award in the highly competitive events category
at the Public Relations Society of America’s Pepperpot Awards. Overall,
his efforts garnered thousands of media impressions, including regional,
national and international coverage.
- Mercedes Juliá, Ph.D., a professor of classical and modern
languages and literatures, has recently published an article titled, "El
poder de la poesía en Una sombra donde sueña Camila O´Gorman."
Jaén Cruce de caminos, encuentro de culturas. University of Jaén,
pp. 173-182. She has also coordinated and written the entire content of
a Web page dedicated to Juan Ramón Jiménez by the Institute Cervantes:
http://cvc.cervantes.es/actcult/jrj/
- Timothy W. Kirk, Ph.D., a Catherine of Siena Fellow in Ethics
and visiting assistant professor of philosophy, has been elected to the
national ethics committee of the
National Hospice
and Palliative Care Organization. The committee is a 20-member body
of hospice clinicians, administrators, and scholars across the country
that drafts technical publications, policy recommendations, and position
papers on political, economic, social, and clinical issues pertinent to
the hospice community. The group also guides educational programming and
policy initiatives for the organization's hundreds of local hospice and
health system members. Tim's research and teaching focuses on nursing
ethics and the philosophy of nursing.
- James McGann, Ph.D., from the
department of political
science, participated in the World Bank's Global Development
Conference in Beijing, China (January 10 to 14, 2007). The focus of the
meeting was the WB's Bridging Knowledge and Policy Initiative, a program
designed to improve policy making in the developing world. While in
China, Dr. McGann was asked to address a group of scholars from
universities and think tanks that included the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, the Beijing University, the Renmin University, the Tsinghua
University, and the Unirule Institute of Economics.
- Alain J. Phares, Ph.D., a professor of physics; Francis J.
Wunderlich, Ph.D., a professor of physics; and their collaborator
David W. Grumbine, Jr., Ph.D., a 1992 Villanova graduate and a
current faculty member at St. Vincent College, have recently published
the article titled, "Monomer Adsorption on Equilateral Triangular
Lattices with Repulsive First-Neighbor Interactions." It appeared in the
American Chemical Society journal, Langmuir, Volume 23, pages
1928-1936, on Feb. 12, 2007.
Alumni in the News
- President George W. Bush intends to nominate T. Timothy Ryan,
of New York, to be Under Secretary of the Treasury (International
Affairs). Mr. Ryan currently serves as Vice Chairman of JPMorganChase.
Prior to this, he served as Managing Director of JPMorganChase. Earlier
in his career, he served as Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision
at the Department of the Treasury. Mr. Ryan received his bachelor's
degree from Villanova University in
political science in
1967 and his JD from the American University School of Law.
Learn more here.
- Sara Woods, Esq., (M.P.A. December 2005) has been appointed
the executive director of
Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program ("Philadelphia
VIP"), effective May 1. Sara is also a Villanova Law School graduate. As
executive director of Philadelphia VIP, Sara will head up one of the
nation's leading legal services agencies and become one of the
youngest executive directors in the Philadelphia public interest
community. Learn more about
Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program ("Philadelphia
VIP") here.
IT Corner
- Why Not Podcast Your Next Lecture or Event? UNIT can
assist you to create a
podcast of your next event and post it to
iTunes University and your Web site. And the best news is ... it is
easy to do! Simply contact
Jennifer Pohlhaus
for more information.
- Reported Problem with Wireless Driver on Dell Laptops -- If
you have received an error message that reads, bcm1xlsup.dll is
missing, then you will need to reinstall the driver for your wireless
card. Instructions can be found here:
http://www.unit.villanova.edu/support/
- New E-mail System Coming -- More details on the new email and
calendaring system (Microsoft Exchange) can be found at:
http://www.unit.villanova.edu/exchange/
Send Your News Items and Event Notices for Publication Is
your upcoming event not listed in this e-newsletter? Do you wish it was? 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.
Kate will include it in the next issue of the College’s e-newsletter. |
