Letter From the Dean

Dear Friend of the College,

Welcome to the July 2009 issue of Inside A&S, the monthly e-newsletter of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University.

I am happy to report on our faculty's many scholarship successes during the 2008-2009 academic year. Tenured and tenure-track faculty in the College published 19 books, edited seven books, and wrote 192 referred articles. Faculty wrote 78 book chapters, 42 book reviews, and published 78 conference proceedings. Faculty applied for 126 grants, presented 379 papers at conferences, and hold 271 professional services positions.

Our faculty's commitment to both teaching and scholarly excellence distinguishes the College from its peers, and we should all be proud of our faculty's meaningful and significant research accomplishments.   

In the beginning of June 2009, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was featured on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer not once but twice: "College Students Help Connect the Vatican to Internet 2.0" and "Hunt is on for another planet Earth." You'll read about both articles in this issue of Inside A&S.

Also, in this issue of Inside A&S, you'll read about the important work of Villanova students who have produced a virtual-reality tour of St. Paul's Basilica for the Vatican Web site. Our students' work in the Vatican has received considerable media attention, and we are very proud of our students' efforts.

In addition, be sure to save the date for the inaugural lecture of the Lore Kephart, ’86, Distinguished Historians Lecture Series. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. in the Villanova Room of Connelly, renowned Civil War historian James McPherson, Ph.D., will deliver a lecture entitled, "Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief."

I also am pleased to announce that Kenneth R. Miller, Ph.D., a professor of biology at Brown University, will deliver the 2009 Mendel Medal Lecture on Friday, Nov. 20. You'll learn more about Dr. Miller, his work, and the Mendel Medal in this issue of Inside A&S.

I wish you a peaceful and relaxing summer, and encourage you to stay in touch with the College by reading Inside A&S during the summer months. You also can stay informed on College news by becoming a fan of the College page on Facebook, reading our blog, and following our Twitter updates.
  
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.
 

Sincerely, 


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

In College News …

VU Team Produces Virtual-Reality Tour of St. Paul's Basilica for Vatican Web Site

"We were really able to go past the red rope, behind the altar, back where the pope might stand, to get these beautiful shots, and that was pretty incredible," said Coveleski, a communication major from Lewes, Del., who graduated in May 2009.

Learn more about this project here.

Villanova Astronomer Ed Guinan Featured in Philadelphia Inquirer

From the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Villanova astronomer Edward Guinan, Ph.D., has had some adventures over the years, from scrounging for black-market cement to make Iran's first high-powered telescope to discovering the rings around Neptune at an observatory in New Zealand. Learn more here. Learn more here.

PHOTO CREDIT: SHARON GEKOSKI-KIMMEL/Staff Photographer for the Philadelphia Inquirer
Location, location, location: Villanova astronomer Edward Guinan is searching near dimmer stars for planets that are not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

Former Villanova Swimmers Tackled English Channel to Honor Ex-teammate With MS

From the Philadelphia Daily News. SOMETHING WAS wrong. At the Broadway play "Legally Blonde" that Saturday with her mother and her sister, Lauren Schulman found that her vision had become so blurred that she could barely see the actors on the stage. Within a few days she was having trouble walking, too, and by Wednesday found it hard to stand on one leg at her 6 a.m. kick-boxing class. At the hospital that evening, her doctors performed an MRI and later diagnosed with her multiple sclerosis. Read more here.

The swimmers tackled the English Channel on June 29. Click here to learn more details.

The College Welcomes New Department Chairpersons

John H. Durnin, Ph.D., an associate professor and program coordinator of Undergraduate Teacher Education, will serve as Acting Chair of the Department of Education and Human Services during the 2009-2010 academic year. The College extends its sincere thanks to Connie Titone, Ed.D., who has served the department and the College as chair for the past eight years, for her dedicated service and leadership. The Department of Education and Human Services prepares teachers, human service providers, counselors, supervisors, and administrators. Through its certification and licensure programs, the Department combines theory with practical experience in school and community settings to help improve the quality of the lives of others. The department offers an undergraduate major, with concentrations in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Human Services. The department also offers a graduate program with three master's degree programs: Counseling and Human Relations, Teacher Education, and Educational Leadership. The department also offers a Post-Master's program with concentrations in Counseling or Educational Leadership, as well as a Teacher's Certification program.

In addition, A. Maria Toyoda, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science and director of the East Asian Studies Program, will serve as the new chair of the Department of Political Science beginning in August 2009. Dr. Toyoda will replace Robert Langran, Ph.D., who has served as acting chair of the department during the 2008-2009 academic year. The College also thanks Dr. Langran for his service to the College. The Department of Political Science’s mission is to enable students to understand politics in the United States, in other countries, and among nations. It seeks to satisfy and stimulate students’ curiosity with a rigorous education in political science. Graduates of the department become capable analysts of politics, who use this ability in their work and in their active participation in politics at all levels.

Ninth Annual MPA Dinner Features Keynote Speaker Arthur Haywood

Article Courtesy of David Mrochko (M.P.A. December 2009).

Pictured in the photo at the left: Craig Wheeland, Christine Palus, Arthur Haywood, and Catherine Wilson.

This year’s M.P.A. Dinner was held on May 2, 2009, in Connelly Center. The evening began with a reception in the President’s Lounge, followed by a meal and keynote address. More than 40 current students, alumni, faculty, and friends attended the ninth annual event, which was highlighted by the keynote speaker, Mr. Arthur Haywood, the General Counsel to Nueva Esperanza, Inc., and Esperanza USA, and the head of Haywood, LLC.

Mr. Haywood’s work over the years has helped to produce jobs, housing, and opportunity for persons and communities that have been traditionally excluded. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Morehouse College in 1979, his M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1981, and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1985. Arthur Haywood has been a member of the Pennsylvania Bar since 1985.

Throughout Mr. Haywood’s speech, he focused on his commitment to public service and stressed the importance of community involvement. Weaving humor and wisdom, Mr. Haywood discussed the struggles and successes of Nueva Esperanza, as it has grown from a small local organization into a large organization of national prominence. Nueva Esperanza continues to serve underprivileged communities by bringing educational and economic opportunities to those who would otherwise be excluded. Mr. Haywood reassured students that their commitment to the community and to public service is both admirable and rewarding.

The M.PA. Program’s Non-Profit Coordinator, Dr. Catherine Wilson, said, “I have known Art Haywood for eight years when I first started my dissertation research on Esperanza. He has always displayed a consistent understanding of the true meaning of public service, both in his work as senior legal counsel at Esperanza – one of the largest and most reputable Hispanic faith-based organizations in the United States – and in his recent Democratic primary win as contender for the position of Cheltenham Township Commissioner. It was an honor to have him as keynote speaker at our dinner and to learn that his work has been not only a professional service but also a genuine vocation.”

For more information about the Villanova M.P.A. Program, please visit the program’s Web site, or contact the M.P.A. Director, Christine Palus, Ph.D.

Psychology Department Inducts New Members Into the Psi Chi Honor Society

On Thursday, April 23, 2009, twenty students were inducted into Psi Chi. Psi Chi is the national honor society in psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of psychology one of their major interests and who meet the minimum qualifications. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Psychological Science (APS).

Spring 2009 Newsletter From Gender and Women's Studies at Villanova

Check out the spring 2009 newsletter from the Gender and Women's Studies Program here. Also, save the date: Elizabeth Cady Stanton Conference will be held on Thursday, April 8, 2010.
 

Trip to Jordan and Egypt: December 26 to January 6

Join us on a trip to Jordan and Egypt. Learn more here!

“Geckos -- Tails to Toepads” Now at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Aaron Bauer, Ph.D., a professor of biology and holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology, is a research associate at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and a world-renown expert of geckos. Learn more about the exhibit, “Geckos -- Tails to Toepads, which is now at the Academy,” here.

In addition, Dr. Bauer was quoted in a Philadelphia Inquirer article entitled, "There's an 'ole 'ost of geckos out there." He also was featured in a Norristown Times-Herald article entitled, "Geckos get their own show."

"Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief": A Lecture by Renowned Historian James McPherson

James McPherson, Ph.D., is the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of  American History, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He will speak on campus on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m., in the Villanova Room of Connelly Center about "Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief."

Dr. McPherson received the Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom and most recently has written, 'Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander- in-Chief. Dr. McPherson’s visit is sponsored by the Lore Kephart, ’86, Distinguished Historians Lecture Series. This event is the series’ inaugural lecture.

For more information, please contact Diane Brocchi.
 

Kenneth Miller, Ph.D., to Receive 2009 Mendel Medal

On Friday, Nov. 20, Kenneth R. Miller, Ph.D., a professor of biology at Brown University, will deliver the 2009 Mendel Medal Lecture -- Darwinian Grandeur: A Biologist’s Journey Through Evolution’s “Tangled Bank,” -- in the Connelly Center Cinema (refreshments will be served at 2 p.m.; the lecture begins at 2:30 p.m.). This is an event not to be missed. On Saturday, he will be awarded the Mendel Medal.

The Mendel Medal is awarded to outstanding scientists who have done much by their painstaking work to advance the cause of science, and, by their lives and their standing before the world as scientists, have demonstrated that between true science and true religion there is no intrinsic conflict.        

Dr. Miller was the lead witness in the Pennsylvania “intelligent design” case, which was the first direct challenge brought in U.S. federal courts against a public school district that required the presentation of “intelligent design” as an alternative to evolution to explain the origin of life. Learn more about Dr. Miller and his work here.

Save the Date: Villanova to Host the 38th Annual Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies Conference

Villanova will host the 38th Annual Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies Conference, "Asia Beyond Borders," on October 30 to November 1. For preliminary information, please click here. More information to come!

Call for Papers: Education as a Human Right

Special issue of the Journal for Peace and Justice Studies on Education as a Human Right. Deadline for submissions: November 15, 2009. Click here under "Call for Papers" for more information.

Call for Papers: Who is My Enemy? Religious Hope in a Time of Fear

The Theology Institute at Villanova will sponsor its annual conference -- "Who is My Enemy? Religious Hope in a Time of Fear" -- on October 27-28, 2009. Learn more here.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences: Sustaining Intellectual and Cultural Life on Campus

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences hosts many intellectual and cultural events outside of the classroom during the academic year. Click here for a look back at some of the College's many events from the 2008-2009 academic year.

International SustainAbility Conference: Lectures Available on YouTube, iTunes University

You can download the keynote address of environmental activist and attorney, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who spoke during the University's International SustainAbility Conference, on the University's YouTube site and iTunes University. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwRQxNADez8 and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiWBdrXb_yw

Search iTunes University here: http://www.villanova.edu/unit/support/academic/podcasting/itunesu/

Villanova Theatre Proudly Announces Its 2009-2010 Season

Villanova Theatre proudly announces its 2009-2010 Season. Subscriptions are now available and may be ordered by calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office at 610-519-7474. Faculty, staff, and alumni subscriptions cost just $40 plus handling. The Zoo Story by Edward Albee and directed by Joanna Rotté -- September 22 – October 4, 2009; As You Like It by William Shakespeare and directed by Harriet Power -- November 10 – 22, 2009; Medea by Euripides and directed by Shawn Kairschner -- February 2 – 14, 2010; and Annie Get Your Gun, book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields, music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, directed by Valerie Joyce -- March 23 – 28 and April 6-18, 2010.

Villanova Co-hosts American Ornithologists' Union Annual Meeting

Villanova will co-host the 127th stated meeting of the AOU, the largest professional society of ornithologists in the Western Hemisphere. The meeting, taking place at UPenn August 12-15, includes invited and contributed presentations, along with special events. For more information, click here.

Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies Hosts 34th International PMR Conference

The PMR committee this year extends a special invitation to scholars from all disciplines in these fields to address our plenary theme, "Ora et Labora: Pray and Work," featuring John Van Engen University of Notre Dame, author of Sisters and Brothers of the Common Life and M. Michele Mulchahey Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, Toronto, author of First the Bow is Bent in Study on Oct. 16-18, 2009. For Call for Papers details, please click here. 

Call for Nominations: 2010 Praxis Award in Professional Ethics

The Ethics Program invites nominations for the 2010 Praxis Award in Professional Ethics. To highlight and celebrate the work of professionals and academics in the field of professional ethics, the Ethics Program of Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recognizes the work of such a person by awarding him or her with the Praxis Award. Learn more here.

Blog With the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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.

Find the College on Facebook

Become a fan of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on Facebook. This is an ideal way for all Facebook users to stay informed of College news and events. Click here to visit the College on Facebook.

Follow the College on Twitter

Follow the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on Twitter.
 

A Video Message From the Dean

Check out this video message from Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D., dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This video also may be found at the bottom right-hand side of the College's home page.
 

Reminder: Grant Development Web Site 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.
 

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

• PC Refresh Training. Find the schedule here.
   
• Mac Support. Find tips and resources for the new Macintosh computers here.
   
• Activity Insight. Find more information here.
   
• Confused about how to advertise your announcements and events? Please check out the College's Announcement(s) Quick Guide.
   

Save the Dates!

Please mark your calendars for these important dates:

July 27           Last day of class/final exams -- Summer Session II and Summer Session III
August 20-23  New Student Orientation and Registration
August 24       Classes Begin
August 30       Last Day for Dropping and/or Adding Classes

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 the University's home page.
 

Faculty Scholarship

• Pamela Blewitt, Ph.D., has published a paper with three former graduate students, Keiran Rump, Stephanie Shealy, and Samantha Cook. The paper, in the Journal of Educational Psychology, is entitled, “Shared book reading: When and how questions affect young children’s word learning.” Dr. Blewitt also co-authored three posters at the recent meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development in Denver, Colorado, co-authored by former graduate students Alexis Dolena, Megan Fedor, and Autumn Wyant.

• Rebecca Brand, Ph.D., presented three posters at the Society for Research in Child Development meeting in Denver, Colorado.  They are entitled, “Parental Perceptions of Infant Screen-time Predict Foreground and Background Exposure to Videos in Children Under 2,” “Structure in Mothers’ Demonstrations to Infants of Objects,” and “Non-Parents Use Motionese When Demonstrating Objects for Infants,” and the last was co-authored with five-year BA/MS student Courtney Casperson. 

• Nicole Else-Quest, Ph.D., traveled to Denver in April to present her meta-analytic research on cross-national gender differences in mathematical achievement, attitudes, and affect at the biennial meeting for the Society for Research in Child Development.

• Judy Giesberg, Ph.D., an assistant professor of history, has published an article, “The Fortieth Congress, Southern Women, and the Gender Politics of Postwar Occupation,” in Occupied Women: Gender and Military Occupation and the American Civil War, LeeAnn Whites and Alecia P. Long, eds., Louisiana State University Press, 2009: 185-193.

• Irene Kan, Ph.D., recently published a paper entitled, "Contribution of prior semantic knowledge to new episodic learning in amnesia," in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. This work was done in collaboration with Michael P. Alexander, M.D., of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Mieke Verfaellie, Ph.D., of the Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, and Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Kan also was awarded the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Minority Junior Faculty Grant.

• Steven Krauss, Ph.D., presented a poster entitled, “Autonomy, divinity and community morality and value priorities in Turkey and USA,” at the Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention in San Francisco. This work was done in collaboration with Ozge Gurel, a former Villanova graduate student.

• John Kurtz, Ph.D., and Patrick Markey, Ph.D., co-authored a study presented to the Society for Personality Assessment in Chicago last March. The presentation was entitled, “Erikson’s Psychosocial Crises from the Perspective of the Interpersonal Circumplex.” Dr. Kurtz has also recently presented advanced training workshops in personality assessment to military psychologists at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, and Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia.

• Gina Ligon, Ph.D., published an article, “Development of outstanding leadership: A life narrative approach,” which was selected by The Leadership Quarterly Journal's editorial board as “The Most Influential Paper of 2008.” This award comes with a monetary prize and an expense paid trip to present a colloquium on her work at the Academy of Management’s Annual Leadership Meeting at the Center for Creative Leadership on September 1. Dr. Ligon’s co-authors on this paper are Samuel Hunter of Penn State and Michael Mumford of University of Oklahoma.

• Timothy McCall, Ph.D., an assistant professor of history, has published the following two articles: “The Gendering of Libertas and the International Gothic: Carlo Crivelli’s Ascoli Annunciation,” Studies in Iconography 30 (2009), 168-197, and “Visual Imagery and Historical Invisibility: Antonia Torelli, her Husband, and his Mistress in Fifteenth-century Parma,” Renaissance Studies 23/3 (2009), 269-287.

• Charlene Mires, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, recently has published two articles: one related to her work in public history, and the other connected to her current research on the many local campaigns to become the home of the United Nations. "Invisible House, Invisible Slavery: Struggles of Public History at Independence National Historical Park," in Culture and Belonging in Divided Societies: Contestation and Symbolic Landscapes, ed. Marc H. Ross (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009): 216-37, and "Sault St. Marie as the Capital of the World? Stellanova Osborn and the Pursuit of the United Nations, 1945," Michigan Historical Review (Spring 2009): 61-82.
• Bernard F. Reilly, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, presented a paper, “Alfonso VI of León-Castile (1065-1109) and His Bishops," on April 24, 2009, at a conference, “Alfonso VI en Nueva York, Encuentro de Estudiosos con Ocasión del IX Centenario de la Muerte del Rey Alfonso VI (1109-2009),”  held at New York University. The conference was intended to serve as introduction to another, three-day conference on the same theme, to be held in León and Sahagún, Spain, in October 2009. On May 8, 2009, Professor Reilly presented a paper, “Rodrigo Jimenez de Rada: Writing History in Thirteenth-century Iberia,” at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Western Michigan University. His was one of a series of papers given at three panels there in order to celebrate the 80th birthday of the historian of medieval Spain, Professor Joseph F. O’Callaghan, emeritus from Fordham University.
• Suzanne Toton, Ed.D., a professor of theology and religious studies, and coordinator of the Villanova/Catholic Relief Services Partnership, gave a paper entitled, "Savings and Internal Lending Communities: Catholic Relief Services Building the Capacity for Peace in Rwanda," at the 55th Annual Convention, College Theology Society at Notre Dame University on May 29. In addition, she gave the keynote address entitled, "The Catholic University Advancing Urban Solidarity," for the Walsh University's 34th Annual Philosophy and Theology Symposium, Canton, Ohio, March 20-21, 2009. Toton also was a panelist along with Charles Currie, S.J., president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, and David O'Brien, Ph.D., Loyola Professor Emeritus of Roman Catholic Studies and History at the College of the Holy Cross, for the Cabrini College President's Inaugural Academic Symposium, "From Service to Solidarity: New Directions in Catholic Higher Education," on November 14, 2008.

• Ingeborg Ward, Ph.D. and Byron Ward, Ph.D., published an article in the April 2009 issue of Hormones and Behavior, the official journal of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.  The article, which is entitled, “Conceptual and Technical Contributions from a Pioneer in Behavioral Endocrinology,” was a tribute to Professor Arnold A. Gerall, the recipient of the 2008 Daniel S. Lehrman Lifetime Achievement Award in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.

• Dennis D. Wykoff, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology, has published an article in the June issue of the peer-reviewed journal Genetics entitled, "Candida glabrata PHO4 is necessary and sufficient for Pho2-independent transcription of phosphate starvation genes." The first author of this paper is Christine Kerwin who earned an M.S. in biology at Villanova in 2008. This work dissects a signaling pathway in a yeast that is commensal with humans and highlights the idea that bioinformatic techniques must be followed up with molecular genetics. This study suggests that evolution in trans can modify the characteristics of an entire signal transduction pathway, which is a controversial topic in evolutionary biology.

Alumni in the News

• Benjamin Baran, '02, (political science, communication, naval science), earned a master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in May 2009, where he continues to pursue his Ph.D. in organizational science. His research focuses on ways in which both employees and organizations manage ambiguity and adversity. Baran is the lead author of his first peer-reviewed scholarly publication, which will appear in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in July 2009. The article, titled "Euthanasia-related strain in animal shelter employees," features an analysis and discussion of coping strategies advocated by experienced animal shelter employees.
• Bridget Bucardo-Rivera, '02, an honors and economics dual major, is completing her master's degree in Fordham's International Political Economy and Development Program. She was selected as an International Development Fellow with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). She will be placed next fall with CRS in Nicaragua.
• Frank DiBello, '64, who received a bachelor's degree in mathematics, has been named the interim president of Space Florida. Learn more here.
• Samuel Freedman (Dec. '08 B.A., Philosophy) has been awarded a Fulbright to serve as an English Teaching Assistant in New Delhi, India, next year. In the Fall of 2007, Sam studied abroad in India, Nepal, and Tibet as a Connelly-Delouvrier International Scholar. He documented his experiences in Asia in an article published in October '08 in the Travel Section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. After his Fulbright year, Sam will return to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Asian Studies or Philosophy.
• Carolyn Hurwitz ('09 B.S., Biology) was notified that she is an alternate for a Fulbright Grant to pursue a course of study in food culture and communication in Italy.
• Jennifer Riley (A&S '99, M.A. History, '01) graduated from Temple University Beasley School of Law in May 2009.
• Samuel Silverman (’09, Political Science/Geography) has received a 2009 Critical Language Scholarship to study Mandarin Chinese this summer at Soochow University, located in the historic cultural center of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province in central-eastern China. Sam hopes to remain in China next year teaching English. The Critical Language Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). It offers intensive summer language institutes overseas in 11 critical-need foreign languages. The program began in 2006 in an effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Sam is the first Villanovan to receive this award.
• Kevin Woods ('07 B.S., Mechanical Engineering; Ph.D. candidate in ME) has received a SMART Scholarship from the Department of Defense (http://www.asee.org/fellowships/smart/) to complete his doctoral studies in Mechanical Engineering at Villanova. The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program is an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to receive a full scholarship in exchange for a period of full-time civilian employment with a Department of Defense organization. Kevin is the first Villanova student to received this award.

Faculty and Staff in the News

• Joseph Betz, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy, received the Lawrence C. Gallen, O.S.A., Faculty Service Award.
• Lara Brown, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science, was quoted in a recent article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review entitled, "Media have issues with White House."
• Thomas W. Busch, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy, received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Teaching Award.
• Bill Cowen, director of the public relations program in the Department of Communication, was quoted in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article entitled, "Nonprofits tap online networks to raise funds."
• Bryan Crable, Ph.D., an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication, was featured in a recent front-page Philadelphia Inquirer article entitled, "Villanova team films virtual reality of the Vatican."
• Barbara Cullen in the Office of International Studies won the Facultas Award this year at the annual faculty and staff picnic. The Facultas Award acknowledges and honors exceptional staff who provide vital, yet often unnoticed, services essential to the smooth and efficient functioning of the Villanova community.
• Stanley Jacobs, Ph.D., an associate professor of criminal justice, was quoted in a recent Intelligencer article entitled, "Facebook site shows evolution of hoax."
• Michael H. Prosch, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy, received the Pohlhaus-Stracciolini Award for Teaching Excellence.
• Klaus Volpert, Ph.D., an associate professor of mathematics, received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Students in the News

• Psychology graduate student Rebecca DeMoor recently attended the annual conference for the Society of Interpersonal Theory and Research in Toronto. At this conference, she presented a paper co-authored with Drs. Patrick Markey and John Kurtz entitled, “Convergent validity of the PAI interpersonal scales with the IIP-SC.”

• Kyle Haney, a psychology major, has recently been awarded the Villanova Undergraduate Research Award for her investigation of cognitive processes underlying mental rotation strategy using an eye tracker.

• Amy Richards ('10 Honors) has been selected to represent the state of Pennsylvania this summer at the Henry Clay Student Congress. U.S. Senators from each of the 50 states are asked by the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship to recommend one college junior from their state to attend the Student Congress. Amy was nominated by Senator Robert Casey.

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.