Letter from the Dean

Dear Friend of the College,

Welcome to the December 2008 issue of Inside A&S, the monthly e-newsletter of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As the fall 2008 semester draws to a close with finals approaching, it presents an excellent time for all of us to reflect on the past semester and strategize on ways to improve and grow in the new year ahead.

As you know, higher education, indeed the whole country, has had to assess its operations in light of the current global fiscal crisis. Villanova and, by extension, the College, is no exception. The University President, Fr. Donohue, recently sent a message, stating:

“The Villanova community shares a commitment to providing our students with an excellent educational experience, and it is especially during these times that our Augustinian beliefs and values can shine through. We are helping to provide access to funding to support tuition costs, and we have a process in place in the Financial Assistance office to address difficult financial situations caused by the current economic uncertainty. Now more than ever, we need to be here for our students and their families.”

Fr. Donohue asked each department to review budgets and maximize opportunities for cost savings. By being proactive in this way, our community can remain prepared to adequately address any future economic fluctuations. Our College has responded to Fr. Donohue’s request by reviewing the number of its courses offerings and reviewing open faculty and staff positions in order to limit expenditures. We support and applaud the University’s efforts to support our students. Moreover, we believe the measures the College has implemented do not in any way compromise our mission of providing an excellent educational experience to our students in the Augustinian tradition. Each of us plays an important role in the realization of this mission. In these difficult economic times, it becomes even more important for all of us to work creatively, diligently, and prudently to best serve the needs of our students in a responsible way.

Looking forward, although this semester is nearly complete, this academic year continues to be filled with a wide array of academic and cultural events, including the "From the Local to the Global: International Sustainability Conference," designed to explore the concept of sustainability in all its many forms. The keynote address will be given by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. My hope is that our students, faculty, and staff take advantage of this opportunity and other campus activities designed to further enrich the educational experience. Be sure to visit this Web site often to learn about the many events happening this academic year.

In addition, please click here to learn more about the 2008 Alumni Awards Celebration and this year’s honorees.
  
Thank you for continuing to read Inside A&S. We appreciate your ongoing interest in the life of the College, and, as always, we welcome your feedback.

On behalf of all of us in the Dean's Office of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, I wish you a merry and joyful Christmas, and a healthy and happy new year.

Sincerely, 


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

In College News …

College Honors Exceptional Alumni at Annual Awards Dinner

Alumni Award Recipients Share Their Personal and Professional Stories With Current Students

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Medallion is an annual award given to recognize the accomplishments of select graduates, identified by the department chairs within the College, who have excelled in their professional endeavors. The Alumni Medallion also honors College graduates who have demonstrated service to their communities and to the University. Every effort is made to ensure that the individuals selected are representative of the College.

The Founder’s Award is presented annually to an alumnus/a and a faculty member of the Graduate Studies program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who have demonstrated excellence in their fields and commitment to Villanova ideals. The award was established in 1992 in honor of Dr. Bernard Downey, professor emeritus of chemistry and founder of the Graduate Alumni Society of Arts and Sciences.

This year's honorees include: Aaron M. Bauer, Ph.D.; Ryan Costella; Diane T. Hansen; Karen Rizzo; Jean Ruttenberg; and Dante J. Scala. Learn more about them here.

This year's winners graciously gave of their time and spoke to A&S students the Friday before the awards ceremony. Current students who attended the special event had the wonderful opportunity to ask the honorees questions about their professional and life endeavors, and what their Villanova education means to them.
 

"Climate Ethics for a New Administration," Monday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m., in SAC 300

Andrew Light, Ph.D., from George Mason University and the Center for American Progress, in Washington, D.C., will discuss, "Climate Ethics for a New Administration, " on Monday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m. in SAC 300. According to Dr. Light, we are now at a critical moment in the attempt to forge a path to a global solution to the problem of humanly caused climate change. First, a broad scientific consensus has been reached on the phenomenon itself. Second, an awareness of the enormous threats we face to human and non-human flourishing as we increase global temperature has become a broadly accepted premise for political action. Third, we are on the cusp of an attempt to forge a successor treaty to the United Nations Kyoto Protocol -- hopefully to be settled in Copenhagen in December 2009 -- providing mandatory targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, and in some ways most important, we now have a presidential administration in the U.S. ready to act on this problem. After reviewing the current state of work on the ethics of climate change, Dr. Light will argue that philosophers need to move quickly to develop a more "clinical" model of climate ethics, comparable to clinical models of bioethics, if they want to be part of the resolution of this critical problem.

Villanova Educators Bring Home Lessons From Rwanda

Submitted by Suzanne C. Toton, Ed.D., Coordinator, Villanova/Catholic Relief Services Partnership
Villanova University business professor Debra Arvanites was teaching one of her first classes of the fall semester, searching for a way to explain a particular concept to her students. Her mind went to something she had seen a few weeks before, thousands of miles from this verdant campus near Philadelphia. Article courtesy of Catholic Relief Services. Learn more here.

From the Local to the Global: International Sustainability Conference

A Call for Papers

Villanova University is hosting an international interdisciplinary conference on sustainability from April 23 to 26, 2009. The conference aims to bring together scholars, activists, and government and corporate professionals from across the United States and around the world to learn from each other in exploring the multiple dimensions of sustainability. The keynote address will be given by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. This conference is the capstone event of Villanova’s Year of Sustainability, which began in September 2008 with the symposium, "Mendel in the 21st Century: The Scientific, Social, and Ethical Impact of Genetics in Our World," a celebration of the 80th anniversary of Villanova’s granting of the Mendel Medal honoring the legacy of Augustinian priest Gregor Mendel, an icon of interdisciplinary scientific investigation; recipients of the medal include botanist Peter Raven, philosopher Holmes Rolston III, and biologist Meg Lowman. Visit this Web site to learn even more about he sustainability conference.
 

Villanova Celebrates Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology

Youssef Chahine: A Life in Cinema -- "Destiny" Featured on December 2 at 7 p.m..

Destiny will be featured on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. in Connelly Center Cinema. The film is being featured as part of the film series sponsored by the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, celebrating the work of legendary Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine. His films deal with a variety of topics from historical subjects to daily life in the city and the countryside. Co-sponsored by the Department of Communication.

Attention, Students: Get Connected Today!

Connections is an e-newsletter published every Tuesday during the academic year exclusively for students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The purpose of Connections is to inform you of opportunities available through various College offices related to academic advising; fellowships, grants, and scholarships; internships and professional development; and other related matters. For more information, please e-mail Kate Szumanski.
 

“Reflections on Leadership in the Non-Profit Sector”

A panel of local non-profit professionals spoke on Tuesday, Nov. 11, during the special event, “Reflections on Leadership in the Non-Profit Sector.” Learn more here.
 

Wal-mart PR Executive Discusses Growth of Company's External Communications Strategies

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) invited Steven Restivo, director of corporate affairs for Wal-mart in the Northeast Region, to campus on Thursday, Nov. 13. He discussed Wal-mart’s communication and business strategy evolution. Learn more here.

Faculty Workshop Series: Speaking of Scripture

The Villanova Center for Liberal Education (VCLE) is hosting a series of faculty workshops during the academic year entitled, "Speaking of Scripture: Interfaith Conversations on Teaching Sacred Texts," featuring distinguished Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars. The event series is designed to encourage interfaith dialogue, especially around the topic of how professors teach texts from other faith traditions. The project is sponsored by a VITAL grant in addition to support from other departments and programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To learn more, please click here. For more information, please contact Marylu Hill, Ph.D.

From Book to MP3: Literary Allusions in Contemporary Italian Music

Submitted by Letizia Modena, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Italian

On October 30, the Italian Division of the Modern Languages and Literatures Department, and Circolo Italiano of Villanova University, co-sponsored a lecture by Professor Francesco Ciabattoni of Dalhousie University, “From Book to MP3: Literary Allusions in Contemporary Italian Music.”

Nearly 150 enthusiastic students and community members packed the amphitheater at Bartley Hall to hear Dr. Ciabattoni explain how singer-songwriters (the Italian word is cantautori) such as Roberto Vecchioni, Claudio Baglioni, and Fabrizio de André allude to classical Italian literature in their songs, thus bridging literary and popular cultures. Through quotations from authors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Italo Calvino, and snippets from these contemporary singer-songwriters, Ciabattoni demonstrated how original and sophisticated songs have become both critically- and popularly-acclaimed in modern Italy. He shed light on how in some cases contemporary songs are veritable rewritings (counter songs indeed) of literary works, therefore creating a responsive interaction. In this way, the cantautori become a vehicle for the diffusion and enjoyment of poetry and novels that would otherwise be known by few.

The talk was particularly effective thanks to audiovisual aids, as Dr. Ciabattoni played three intense songs: Vecchioni’s Lettere d’amore, Baglioni’s Uomini persi, and De André’s La Guerra di Piero. Before this engaging lecture, President Maria Tempera of the Circolo Italiano, together with the others members of the Circolo, Carmine Berardi, Brian Sheridan, Dana DiMartino, and Erica Bruno, invited the audience to enjoy the pizza and beverages that the Circolo generously provided.
 

College Enters the Blogosphere!

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has started a blog to help its many constituencies stay well informed on Colleges news, events, and initiatives. View the blog here.

Center for Arab and Islamic Studies Fall 2008 Events

The Center for Arab and Islamic Studies is hosting many events during the Fall 2008 semester. Be sure to check them out here and make plans to attend.

Women’s Studies Program Renamed “Gender and Women’s Studies”

The Women’s Studies Program has been renamed “Gender and Women’s Studies.” This more inclusive name will allow the program to expand. Learn more here.

Art History Program Celebrates 15th Anniversary

Villanova University Announces 2009 Praxis Award in Professional Ethics

The Villanova University Ethics Program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has announced the selection of the recipient of its third annual Praxis Award in Professional Ethics. Amy Domini, the Founder and CEO of Domini Social Investments, an investment management company committed to social responsibility, will be presented the award on March 31, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. in the Villanova Room of Connelly Center. The Praxis Award highlights and celebrates the contributions of a professional or an academic in the field of professional ethics. Learn more here.

The College IT Office: Supporting the Technological Needs of the College’s Faculty and Staff

Villanova University has a strong tradition of promoting and using today’s most advanced and appropriate technological resources, and while the technological infrastructure at Villanova is managed by the University Information Technology Department (UNIT), the College itself provides a vast array of supplemental and vital IT support to its faculty and staff. The College IT Office employs a staff of talented and dedicated IT professionals who work to meet specific needs within all of the College’s unique departments and programs. The College IT Office reports to the Office of the Dean in the College. Learn more here.

Villanova Theatre’s 50th Anniversary

This year marks the Theatre Department’s 50th anniversary and the start of a yearlong celebration of Villanova Theatre’s past, present, and future. The 2008-2009 line-up includes a masterpiece of the American stage, a giddy French farce, a gorgeous contemporary re-imagining of Roman mythology, and a sizzling Kander and Ebb musical. Each piece celebrates and builds upon some aspect of Villanova Theatre’s history, as the M.A. in Theatre program looks forward to the next half century. Learn more here.

Students Explore Sacred Spaces at Villanova University

During the spring 2008 semester, students enrolled in the course, "HUM 2900 American Sacred Space Class," taught by Margaret Grubiak, Ph.D., an assistant professor of humanities, put together a Web site entitled, "Sacred Spaces Villanova." To access it, please click here.
 

Cultural Film Series Line-Up

College Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies

The Center for Arab and Islamic Studies will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2009 and will mark the occasion with an international conference titled, "Mirror Images: Challenges for Arab and Islamic Studies," on April 2 to 4. During the conference, which will feature scholarly panels, workshops, discussions, and diverse cultural programs, a keynote address will be delivered by Professor Juan R.I. Cole, Ph.D., the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. Dr. Cole also is the president of the Global Americana Institute.

Ethics for Lunch Fall 2008 Series of Events

Tired of your typical lunch fare? Looking to spice up that soup-and-sandwich combo? Searching for something just a little more substantive than cheese steak? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, then you need to join us for Ethics for Lunch! Check out the fall 2008 schedule here!
 

Reminder: Grant Development Web Site Now Live

Faculty are strongly encouraged to visit the Grant Development Web site. Here you will find the guidelines for the submission of proposals.

Explore iTunes University on the Web  

Download faculty lectures and subscribe to podcasts all at iTunes University. Connect to what is happening at Villanova anytime, anywhere.
 

Women's Studies Hosts Fall 2008 Event Series

Visit Mideastwire.com Today!

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:

For resources for faculty, please click here. For resources for students, please click here. To access the digital version of today's newspaper, please click here. To access the Financial Times online, please click here.

IT Corner

• The College IT Office: Supporting the Technological Needs of the College’s Faculty and Staff.
  The College provides a vast array of supplemental and vital IT support to its faculty and staff. The College IT Office, which reports to the Office of the Dean in the College, employs a staff of talented and dedicated IT professionals who work to meet specific needs within all of the College’s unique departments and programs. Learn more here.
   
• Welcome, Jon! Please welcome Jon Graziola, the newest addition to our College IT support team.
  Jon will be the new point person for the College computing labs and general IT support for Science departments (Biology, Chemistry, and Geography). Jon’s contact information: Email: Jonathan.Graziola@villanova.edu, Phone: x9-5337, Office: SAC 085 (College IT Office)
   
• Faculty and Staff Photographs. Did you have your photo taken at one of the recent faculty and staff photo shoots? If you did, then you can find your photo archived here. Please log in with your user name and password.
  If you need your photo added to your Bio Page, please email Elisa.

Save the Dates!

Please mark your calendars for these important events:

Reading Day                                      December 12
Finals                                                December 13-19 (No finals on Sunday, Dec. 14)
Spring 2009 Semester Begins              January 12

Please click here for the complete academic calendar.

Event Round-up

Be sure to visit the College's home page for a more complete rundown of upcoming events!
 

University Events Module Makes It Easy to Promote Special Events, Lectures, and Other Happenings
Posting an event on the University's Web site and College's Web site has never been easier. Simply enter all relevant information here. Be sure to include your event announcement on the daily Wildcat Newswire, too. The Newswire is sent to all undergraduate, graduate, and law school students at Villanova. Access the online submission from from the University's home page.
 

Faculty Scholarship

Dina Amin, M.F.A., Ph.D., an assistant professor of Arabic cultural studies and theatre, has written the book, Alfred Farag and Egyptian Theater: The Poetics of Disguise, which recently was published by Syracuse University Press.

Sarah-Vaughan Brakman, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy and an ethics consultant, and Darlene Fozard Weaver, Ph.D., an associate professor of theology and religious studies and director of the Theology Institute, have co-edited the book, The Ethics of Embryo Adoption and the Catholic Tradition: Moral Arguments, Economic Reality and Social Analysis, published by Springer Science & Business Media B.V. 2007. Drs. Brakman and Weaver co-edited the book and co-wrote an introductory chapter together. In addition, each wrote a single authored chapter in the book, which is a comprehensive collection of essays that examines and advances ethical evaluations of the controversial and increasingly popular practice of embryo adoption. Learn more here.

Sarah-Vaughan Brakman, Ph.D., has written the article, "Natural Embryo Loss and the Moral Status of the Human Fetus,” which was published in The American Journal of Bioethics vol. 8, no. 7 (July 2008): 22-23.

Rebecca Brand, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, and Bill Christiana (a 2008 alumnus of the Psychology Master's program) presented a poster in May 2008 at the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago entitled, "Socioeconomic status and infant-directed action: Exploring individual differences."  Dr. Brand also attended an international conference in July in Bielefeld, Germany, at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research. The conference was entitled, "Intermodal Action Structuring," and she gave an invited talk on "The structure of action and speech in infant-directed interactions." In August, Dr. Brand and Wendy Shallcross (a 2007 alumna of the Psychology Master's program) published a paper in Developmental Science called "Infants prefer motionese to adult-directed action."

Michael Brown, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, recently published an article entitled “Social working memory: Memory for another rats' spatial choices can increase or decrease choice tendencies” in Learning and Behavior. This paper describes the results of a series of experiments in which many students were involved and it was coauthored by former Villanova graduate students Mary Beth Knight-Green, Ed Lorek, Caroline Packard, Wendy Shallcross and Tim Wifall, as well as undergraduate psychology major Erick Schumann. Dr. Brown also presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Psychonomic Society in Chicago last month entitled "Immediate reversal learning produced by a spatial pattern" and coauthored by by former graduate student Katherine Andriole as well as Bradley Sturz, Ph.D. (Armstrong Atlantic State University). A presentation by Dr. Sturz at the same meeting (entitled "Facilitation of spatial pattern learning with visual cues in real and virtual environments: Implications for associative accounts of spatial learning") was coauthored by Dr. Brown and Debbie Kelly, Ph.D. (University of Saskatchewan). In addition, Dr. Brown organized a meeting sponsored by the Comparative Cognition Society and held in conjunction with the Psychonomic Society meeting at which 33 scientific papers were presented by researchers from 31 different universities.

Timothy Brunk, Ph.D., an assistant professor of theology, has published his article, “Consumer Culture and the Body: Chauvet’s Perspective,” in the July 2008 issue of the journal, Worship.

Cristina Maria Cervone, Ph.D., an assistant professor of English, has had her article, "John de Cobham and Cooling Castle's Charter Poem," published in the October 2008 issue of Speculum, 884-916. Her article "Christ the Falcon" was published in the September 2008 issue of Notes and Queries, 277-82. In addition, she presented her book-in-progress, Love's Leap: Incarnational Poetics in Late Medieval England, at a symposium at the University of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute in April, the culminating event of her year there as the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Medieval Studies. Commenting on the book project as symposium participants were Alastair Minnis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of English at Yale University; Gary Macy, John Nobili, S.J., Professor of Theology at Santa Clara University; and Andrew Galloway, Professor of English and Medieval Studies at Cornell University.
 


In mid-November, David Cregan, O.S.A, delivered the keynote address at the Gender and Nationalism in Ireland conference at Belfast Queens University. His review for Amaryllis Theatre's production of ROCK DOVES appeared in the November issue of Philadelphia Magazine.


Robert Curry, Ph.D., a professor of biology, was featured in online in Science News in an article entitled, "Vegetarian Spider."

Sterling F. Delano, Ph.D., a professor of English, Emeritus, has published an article (with Joel Myerson, University of South Carolina) in the annual, Resources for American Literary Study. The article, “Letters from Brook Farm: A Comprehensive Checklist of Surviving Correspondence,” appears in the most recent volume (31), pp. 96-123. In addition, Dr. Delano recently gave two invited talks, one to the West Roxbury [Massachusetts] Historical Society and the other to Honors and AP English students at New Rochelle High School in New York. Both talks focused on antebellum utopian communities in America.
 

Nicole Else-Quest, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, traveled to San Francisco in April to present her research at the Gender Development Research Conference. The paper, "Cross-National Patterns of Gender Differences in Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis," examined gender differences on international assessments of math achievement and attitudes and their links to societal gender equity.

Edward Garcia Fierros, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Education and Human Services, was selected as Project Zero Classroom Fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. As a fellow this past summer, Dr. Fierros taught two sessions: Multiple Intelligences in the Theory and Practice, and High Stakes Testing and Opportunity to Learn.
 

Charles Folk, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, recently traveled to the Brisbane, Australia, where he presented an invited talk entitled “The power of novelty:  Stimulus frequency effects in attentional capture” to the Department of Psychology at the University of Queensland.  Dr. Folk also recently published an article in the journal Visual Cognition entitled “Top-down control settings and the attentional blink:  Evidence for non-spatial contingent capture.”   The article was coauthored by Andrew Leber of the University of New Hampshire and Howard Egeth of Johns Hopkins University.

Marc Gallicchio, Ph.D., a professor of history and chair of the department, has written the book, The Scramble for Asia: U.S. Military Power in the Aftermath of the Pacific War, which has been published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Ray Heitzmann, Ph.D, a professor in the Department of Education and Human Services, has published the following articles: “Writing for Publication in Social Studies Education” in The Social Studies (a HELDREF publication); “Using the Internet to Teach about Political Cartoons and Their Influence on U.S. Elections” in Social Education; “Teaching America’s Maritime Heritage: An Obligation and a Joy” in the National Social Science Journal and “Case Study Instruction in Teacher Education: Opportunity to Develop Students Critical Thinking, School Smarts and Decision Making” in the journal Education.  Also, he spoke at the FCCS Conference in Florida and the NSSA Conference in Las Vegas. 

Charles H. Helmetag, Ph.D., a professor in the department of modern languages and literature, presented a paper entitled, "'Ein Berliner' in America: Directing Approaches in Context," at the 11th conference of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas held July 28 to August 2 at the University of Helsinki. 
 
Michael Hollinger, an assistant professor of theatre and associate artistic director of Villanova Theatre, received the "In the Spirit of America" Award from the Barbara Barondess MacLean Foundation for his musical A Wonderful Noise (co-authored with Vance Lehmkuhl). The award was presented at a reading of Hollinger's new play Ghost-Writer at New Dramatists in New York City, where he has just completed a seven-year playwright residency. 

Mercedes Juliá, Ph.D., a professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, has been working extensively in the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez, an author considered today to be the father of Spanish contemporary poetry. Learn more here.
 
Richard Juliani, Ph.D., a professor of sociology, received the 2008 Massaro Prize in History. The prize is awarded to the author of the best article in history/social sciences in the area of Italian-American studies published in the journal, Italian Americana, for the year 2007-2008. Dr. Juliani's award-winning article is a revision of an earlier version that was delivered as the keynote address at a conference entitled, "Italian Roots, American Soil: Generations of Immigrants to the Philadelphia Area," co-sponsored by the Center for Italian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the General Consulate of the Republic of Italy.
 

Irene Kan, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, presented a poster entitled, "Contribution of prior semantic knowledge to new episodic learning in amnesia” at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Michael P. Alexander at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Mieke Verfaellie at the Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System.  Dr. Kan also presented a talk entitled, “Contribution of prior knowledge to episodic memory retrieval:  Empirical evidence and cognitive rehabilitation implications” to a group of neurologists and clinicians at Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital, Malvern, Pa.

Deborah Kendzierski, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, presented research on "College Students' Perceived Social Support and Hindrance for Exercise" with first author Lindsay Morton (a 2008 alumna of the M.S. program) and third author Lauren Nohe (2008 alumna of the bachelor’s program) at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Boston, in August. In September, research on "The relationship between general and specific physical activity self-definitions," coauthored with Rebecca Ritter and Jessica Landers, was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology in St. Louis.

Catherine Kerrison, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Association of University Women. This year, the association selected only 97 fellows out of 1,116 applicants.

James J. Kirschke, Ph.D., a professor of English, has written an article entitled, "'And Say Who Made Her So': BREAKER MORANT," which has been published in a special issue of Film and History (Volume 38. Number 2). Dr. Kirschke also presented his paper, "William Hooper of North Carolina: His Transition from Colonial Politician to Revolutionary Statesman," during the session entitled, "Representing the Colonial," at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, Montreal, Canada, October 2008. At the same conference, Professor Kirschke also chaired the session entitled, "New Views of the Later Eighteenth Century."



Elizabeth Kolsky, Ph.D., an assistant professor of history, has co-edited the volume, Fringes of Empire: People, Places and Spaces at the Margins of British Colonial India, which has been accepted for publication by Oxford University Press. In addition, Dr. Kolsky's book, Colonial Justice: White Violence and the Rule of Law in British India, will be published as part of the Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society, edited by C.A. Bayly.  


Steven Krauss, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, recently presented a paper entitled, "Value association with big 5 personality traits in Lebanon and the USA," at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago. The paper was co-authored by graduate student Maya Boustani. 

John Kurtz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, and Patrick Markey, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, published an article entitled, “Gender differences in interpersonal complementarity within roommate dyads,” that appeared recently in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. The paper was co-authored by Emily Ansell, a 1999 alumna of the Psychology master’s program at Villanova who is now at Yale University.
 

Hafeez Malik, Ph.D., a professor of political science, delivered a series of lectures on the United States, the Muslim world, and the changing politics in the Middle East at Punjab University (PU) during a seminar on the “Presidential Elections in the United States (US): Implications for South Asia.” Punjab University is located in Lahore, Pakistan.  Learn more here.
 

Patrick M. Markey, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, and graduate student Lindsay Rice recently authored an article entitled, “The role of extraversion and neuroticism in influencing anxiety following computer-mediated interactions,” in Personality and Individual Differences. Dr. Markey also co-authored an article entitled, “Romantic relationships and eating regulation: An investigation of partners’ attempts to control each others’ eating behaviors,” in the Journal of Health Psychology and an article entitled, “Gender differences in interpersonal complementarity within roommate dyads,” in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Dr. Markey also presented a paper entitled, “Interpersonal complementarity and sexual behaviors among romantic couples,” at the annual meeting for the Society of Interpersonal Theory and Research. Finally, Dr. Markey co-authored three research papers, which were presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association with graduate students Wendy Eichler, Lindsay Morton, Joshua Rutt, Michael Gillen, and Stephanie Ficiak. 

Charlene Mires, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has been selected as a Penn Humanities Forum Mellon Regional Faculty Research Fellow for the 2008-09 academic year. As a Faculty Fellow, Dr. Mires will participate in a regularly scheduled interdisciplinary seminar on the theme of "Change." She will also be presenting a paper based on her current research project on the United Nations titled, "Capitals of the World."
 

Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, was one of four invited participants of a roundtable discussion at a conference titled, "Les transformations du littéraire dans la perspective d'une histoire comparée des littératures," held June 2008 at L’Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.
Dr. Nagy-Zekmi also published the following four articles in recent months: “Representaciones postcoloniales de la frontera,” Colonialidad y crítica en América Latina. Bases para un debate. Eds. Mabel Moraña, Carlos A. Jáuregui. Mexico: Universidad de las Américas, 2008: 547-561; “The Border: a Space of Shifting Identities,” Ethno-Kulturelle Begegnungen in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Eds. Erika Hammer and Laszlo Kupa. Hamburg: Verlag/Kovac 2008: 21-27; ’Llamas que hablan’: Representaciones neoindigenistas del niño en medio de la violencia.” La presencia del niño en las literaturas en lengua española. Eds. László Scholz and Gabriella Menczel. Budapest: Eötvös József Publisher, 2008: 559-568; “Prólogo” for Jorge Barrueto: Cine latinoamericano: género, raza e ideología. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2008.

Susan Naylor-Emlen, Ph.D., a visiting assistant professor of psychology, presented a poster entitled, "Spatially Decontextualized and Enhanced Maps in Investigations of Spatial and Temporal Memory,” at the Psychonomic Society conference in Chicago. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Holly Taylor at Tufts University. Two students from Dr. Naylor-Emlen's Spatial Cognition Research Lab, Chris Bennett and Kyle Haney, attended the conference.
 

Satya Pattnayak, Ph.D., a professor of sociology and political science, et al, has published, North American Homeland Security: Back to Bilateralism? (Praeger, 2008).
 

The research group headed by Dr. Alain J. Phares of the Physics department, including Dr. Francis J. Wunderlich at Villanova and Dr. David W. Grumbine, Jr., associate professor at St. Vincent College, has recently published an article on "Adsorption on Nanotubes Having Equilateral Triangular Geometry with First- and Second-Neighbor Interactions: Attractive First-Neighbors." The article appeared in a publication of the American Chemical Society, Langmuir, Volume 24, pp. 11722-11727, September 2008.
 

Theatre professor Harriet Power had the honor of directing the first-ever reading of theatre professor and associate artistic director Michael Hollinger's newest play, GHOST-WRITER, at New Dramatists in New York. She is currently in pre-production for IRON KISSES by James Still, to be produced at Act II Playhouse in Ambler where she is Associate Artistic Director. Harriet was one of three professional directors in Greater Philadelphia featured at the 2008 Barrymore Awards Ceremony last month.

Theatre professor Joanna Rotté has recorded four books on CD, all authored by renowned American Buddhist nun and meditation teacher Pema Chodron (available from Shambhala Publications): Living With Uncertainty, The Places That Scare You, Start Where You Are, and The Wisdom Of No Escape. Rotté also performed a solo piece she created on the enlightened life of the 9th century, and first recognized, female Tibetan Buddhist master, Yeshe Tsogyal on November 1, 2008, at the Philadelphia Shambhala Center in Center City and on November 21 at the Won Institute for Applied Meditation Studies in Glenside, Pa.  She also participated as actor/reader/panelist in a day-long tribute to playwright Jean Claude van Itallie at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City on October 28.
 

Joseph G. Ryan, O.S.A., Ph.D., an assistant professor of history, has written an article entitled, "Doctor Gunning S. Bedford (1806–70) and the Search for Safe Obstetric Care, 1833–70," which was published in the August 2008 issue of the Journal of Medical Biography.
 

Sally J. Scholz, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy, has published the book, Political Solidarity. Learn more here.

Paul Steege, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, is the author of Black Market, Cold War:
Everyday Life in Berlin, 1946–1949. Cambridge University Press has issued Dr. Steege's book in a paperback edition. In addition, Dr. Steege's article, "Staging a Revolution 'Betwixt and Between' in Weimar-Era Berlin," has been published in Alltag, Erfahrung, Eigensinn: Historisch-anthropologische Erkundungen [Everyday Life, Experience, Eigensinn: Historical-anthropological Investigations]. Ed. Belinda Davis, Thomas Lindenberger, and Michael Wildt. (Berlin: Campus, 2008: 361-72). The volume was published in honor of Alf Lüdtke.

Deborah Thomas, Ph.D., has published the article, "'Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down'": Echoes of Hard Times in The Handmaid's Tale," in Dickens Quarterly 25 (June 2008): 90-97.
 

Thomas Toppino, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, Michael Cohen (a 2007 alumnus of the M.S. program), and two current graduate students, Meghan Davis and Amy Moors, co-authored a poster that was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago last May. The poster was entitled, "Metacognitive Control Over Distribution of Practice: When is Spacing Preferred?"



Seth Whidden, Ph.D., an associate professor of French, organized an international conference on Polish-born French poet Marie Krysinska, held at the Bibliotheque Polonaise de Paris on 14-15 November 2008. Read more about it here.

Catherine E. Wilson, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science, recently has published, The Politics of Latino Faith (NYU Press, 2008). The first systematic study of Latino faith-based organizations, this work provides insight into how pivotal religious identity is in understanding Latino social and political involvement in the United States.
 

Rebecca Winer, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has written the article, "Conscripting the Breast: Lactation, Slavery, and Salvation in the Realms of Aragon and Kingdom of Majorca, c. 1250-1300," which appeared in the Journal of Medieval History 34 (2008): 164-184. The article has been selected as "article of the month" by Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index site. Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index covers journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages... Indexers select an article or essay at the beginning of each month that is outstanding in its line of argument, wealth of significances, and writing style.
 

Dennis Wykoff, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology, was invited to Georgetown University, Department of Biology, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 30 to give a seminar entitled, "Using Candida glabrata to examine the evolution of the PHO transcription factors." Dr. Wycoff's work examines the evolutionary steps required for a signal transduction pathway to change behavior and focuses on yeast genomics. This work is currently funded by a National Science Foundation grant to Dr. Wykoff.

Faculty in the News

• Catherine M. Hill, Ed.D., an assistant professor of education, recently was quoted in a Pittsburgh-Tribune Review article entitled, "Hill District center will train public housing tenants."
   
• John Immerwahr, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy, was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education in an article entitled, "Teaching Philosophy 101."
   
• Letizia Modena, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Italian, was interviewed by the Italian newspaper Il Resto del Carlino about the U.S. Presidential Election as seen from the perspective of an Italian working at an American university. Learn more here.

Students in the News

This past summer, Computer Science majors Casey Burkhardt ('11) and AJ Palkovic ('10) were accepted into competitive internships at NASA facilities. AJ Palkovic interned at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California where he worked on software for simulating Mars' rover vehicles and their interactions with the environment. The internship was sponsored by CalTech's SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) program. Casey Burkhardt interned at John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA's premiere rocket propulsion testing facility, in Hancock County, Mississippi. During his summer internship, Casey worked with a team of software developers to create a suite of rocket propulsion testing support software to manage simulation data. The internship was sponsored by the Achieving Competence in Computing, Engineering, and Space Science program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
 

Patrick Cesarz, a computer science and mathematics major, won $2000 playing Who Wants to Be a Mathematician at the 35th national conference of the Society for the Advancement of Native Americans and Chicanos (SACNAS) in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The game took place on October 11 during the conference’s Saturday morning breakfast and was attended by more than 800 people. Learn more here.
 

Kyle Conroy, '11, an astronomy major, has won an award from NASA to support local participation in the International Year of Astronomy, which begins in January 2009. With the help of the Villanova Astronomy Society (VAS), Kyle presented a proposal to present astronomy programs in Philadelphia schools, create a region-wide "celestrial celebration" in cooperation with local amateur astronomy groups, and fly IYA banners at selected public locations during the coming year. Kyle and VAS hope to make these events annual in coming years.
 

Theology graduate student Chris Haw released a book this spring titled Jesus for President, co-authored by Shane Claiborne. They received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly. Over the summer, they visited 21 cities on a book tour, powered by a bus run on vegetable oil. Learn more here.
 

Margaret Tomann, '09, a comprehensive science major, is enrolled in SEA Semester, a study abroad program through Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Mass. Margaret has successfully completed the Sea Semester's six-week shore component earning academic credit for curriculum in oceanography, nautical science, and maritime studies. At the program's Woods Hole campus, Margaret developed a research project that will be tested and completed aboard SEA's 134' sailing school vessel the Corwith Cramer, one of the most sophisticated research equipped vessels under sail in the United States. Margaret will be sailing on the tall ship from Woods Hole with a possible port call in Grenada and a final destination of St. Croix, USVI, a journey of approximately 3,000 nautical miles and six weeks at sea.

Alumni in the News

• Deni Deasy Boekell has been appointed vice president and client strategist at healthcare specialist Roger Green and Associates (RG+A). Boekell earned a master's degree in biology from Villanova. Learn more here.
   

• Tiffany Brown ('08, Psychology/Cognitive Science) was selected for an interview for a Rhodes Scholarship. Tiffany graduated from Villanova in May 2008 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Cognitive Science. Tiffany, a member of the Villanova Women's Swim Team, began her undergraduate studies at Tulane University in New Orleans and transferred to Villanova in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when the women's swim team at Tulane was terminated. At Villanova, Tiffany demonstrated her excellence as both an athlete and a scholar, maintaining a near-perfect GPA while participating in a highly competitive Division I athletic program. Her outstanding classroom performance was only one measure of her academic success; Tiffany received a Villanova University Undergraduate Collaborative Research Award for her research on actor/observer asymmetry in choices related to risk-taking in the lab of Dr. Diego Fernandez-Duque at Villanova. Tiffany presented her research at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association last Spring and a paper has been submitted for publication. Tiffany’s academic performance earned her induction into Phi Beta Kappa and the awarding of the Bernard L. Bonniwell Medallion of Academic Excellence at her graduation from Villanova. Tiffany currently works as a research intern at the University of California at San Diego, studying anorexia nervosa in adolescents. Submitted by Jane Morris.

• Daniel DiCenso, '05, who earned a master of arts in classical studies, is a visiting instructor in music at the College of the Holy Cross. Learn more here.

• Edward D. Kerpius III has been named senior managing director, sales, at Turner Investment Partners, an investment firm that manages more than $26 billion on behalf of institutions and individuals. Kerpius earned a bachelor's degree in the arts, economics, in 1985. Learn more here.



• Bruce Lesh, '94, the social studies department chair and Advanced Placement government teacher at Franklin High School in Townson, Maryland, received the Tachau Teacher of the Year Award at the 101st Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians. Lesh earned a master's degree in history in 1994. Learn more here.
   
• Persystent Technologies, a leading provider of automated PC repair and high-speed imaging, is pleased to announce Mary Maloney as the new Chief Marketing Officer. As CMO, Mary is responsible for developing the company's strategic marketing initiatives, building the Persystent brand, creating awareness in target markets, and launching lead-generation activities to drive the company's sales. Maloney earned a a master's degree in organizational philosophy from Villanova in 1994. Learn more here.
   
• Jill Monahan, who earned a bachelor's degree in communication, has joined the management team at Tier One Partners. Learn more here.
   
• Dr. Michael Patti, '81, has joined LIFE Lutheran Services Inc., a ministry of Lutheran Social Services, as medical director. Patti is responsible for clinical oversight of a program that makes it possible for eligible individuals to remain independent and live safely in the community through coordinated delivery of health and social services. Patti graduated from Villanova with a bachelor’s degree in biology and received his doctoral degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. After retiring in 2005 from the Navy, he moved to Chambersburg, as a family physician at Keystone Health Center. Learn more here.
   
• Villanova undergraduate Honors and Astronomy and Astrophysics alum and former Goldwater Scholar, Lisa M. Winter '03, successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation in astronomy at the University of Maryland on August
  6. Edward M. Sion, Ph.D, her undergraduate Honors thesis advisor and a Villanova member of her Ph.D. thesis committee, shared some comments made by the University of Maryland members of the committee: "Lisa is very
  goal-oriented", "when she begins a project, she completes it", "she has become the intellectual driver" on a project. In her second year at the University of Maryland, she was the recipient of the John C. Wang Award for Academic Excellence given to the outstanding graduate student. Dr. Winter begins a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, this fall.

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? Learn more here! 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.