Message from Dean Howard
LAB COATS
I had the pleasure of participating in a surprisingly moving ceremony this past Sunday afternoon—the induction of the first group of students into the LAB COATS Program, an NIH funded program that brings undergraduates into the laboratories of world-class scientists on both campuses of UC Denver and allows the students to peer deeply into the world of biomedical research. The students are paid for 15 hours a week of work and are provided with an opportunity to learn how biomedical research operates, as well as how it leads to new knowledge. Some of the students will be inspired by the experience and biomedical research will become their life’s work. All of them will forge relationships that will last a lifetime and will develop a deep understanding of the process of science that cannot be obtained in the classroom.
The LAB COATS Program, which is directed by Professor of Medicine Sonia Flores and coordinated by Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Karen Jonscher, demonstrates how a consolidated university provides new opportunities for undergraduates and can help to resolve pipeline issues that have long been a concern of graduate programs on the Anschutz campus. The program is one of many that now knits the two campuses together as faculty increasingly cooperate on training, research, and outreach initiatives.
The LAB COATS event on Sunday had the usual trappings of university ceremonies, such as obligatory addresses by university administrators (including yours truly), but was set apart and made very special when each student came forward and dedicated their research efforts to someone important in their lives, such as a parent or grandparent, many of whom had passed away due to a medical problem that the student would now be addressing in his or her research. The student statements brought into clear focus the impact our educational efforts have on the lives of our students and the importance of the work of this university.
With all best wishes,
Dan
NEW! Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year
UCD Campus Input is Requested
During this 2008-2009 academic year, UC Denver downtown Denver campus is one of 26 institutions nationwide selected to participate in "Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year." The Foundations of Excellence (FoE) program is a comprehensive, year-long self-study program of assessment that focuses on undergraduate students, especially the first-year student. FoE enhances UC Denver’s ability to realize excellence in goals of student learning, success, and persistence. The product of the FoE program is a strategic action plan for the beginning college experience at the University of Colorado Denver. The UC Denver Foundations of Excellence program is co-chaired by John Lanning, Asst. Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Experiences and Peggy Lore, Asst. Vice Chancellor for Student Success. The FoE data gathering, assessment and reporting is conducted by a Steering Committee that oversees and directs nine Dimension Committees.
For more information, please visit the website for the Office of Undergraduate Experiences.
NEW! Classified Staff Performance Evaluations
Due March 31
A reminder that all classified staff performance evaluations are due to Associate Dean Mary Coussons-Read no later than 5 PM on March 31, 2009. All classified staff hired prior to April 1, 2009 must have an evaluation. Even if the employee was hired on March 31, 2009, the supervisor must develop a performance plan and evaluate the new employee. The 2008-2009 performance management form can be found here. This is the form supervisors must use to evaluate on state classified employee performance for the period April 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009. Questions? Please call the Dean’s office at (303) 556-2558.
NEW! Host a Fulbright Visiting Specialist
Direct Access to the Muslim World
Prof. Dr. Dildora Abidjanova is currently visiting as a scholar of the “Fulbright Visiting Specialists Program: Direct Access to the Muslim World”. Dr. Abidjanova holds a Ph.D. in History from the Uzbekistani Academy of Science. Hosted by the BA in International Studies Program, in cooperation with the Political Science Dept, the History Dept, and the Office of International Affairs, Dr. Abidjanova will stay for six weeks at the University of Colorado Denver. During this time, she will give lectures on the history of Islam (esp. in Central Asia), women’s rights in Muslim societies, history of Central Asia, and on political, social, and economic developments in post-Soviet Central Asia. Any faculty interested in hosting a lecture by Dr. Abidjanova should contact the International Studies’ program assistant, Gena Leonard.
NEW! 2009 CLAS Outstanding Staff Award
Call for Nominations
An annual award within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the CLAS Outstanding Staff Award recognizes a single staff member who demonstrates outstanding leadership, ability, initiative and/or achievement. These contributions must provide a significant benefit specifically for CLAS at the downtown Denver campus. The recipient will receive a $500 cash award, presented by the Dean and the nominating employee(s) at the Dean’s Reception this spring.
Eligibility
Any full-time (1 FTE/100% time), permanent classified, exempt professional, PRA, Sr. PRA or Research Associate staff member currently employed by CLAS is eligible for nomination. The individual must have been employed as a permanent staff member within the college for at least 12 consecutive months.
Nomination Process
Eligible employees must be nominated by a University employee using the CLAS Outstanding Staff Nomination form. Nominations may be submitted either electronically or in hard copy to Heather Sours, HR Coordinator, Campus Box 144, heather.sours@ucdenver.edu. The deadline for nominations is 5:00 PM on Friday, April 10, 2009.
Questions? Please call 303-556-2558.
NEW! Student Survival in the Economic Crisis
Wednesday, April 8
2:30pm to 3:45pm
North Classroom 1539
Michael Zweig, professor of economics and director of the Center for
Study of Working Class Life at the Stony Brook University in New York,
is the executive producer of the DVD Meeting Face to Face: the
Iraq-U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour and was part of the U.S. delegation at
the International Labor Solidarity Conference in Eril, Iraq in March
2009. He is the author of The Working Class Majority: America's Best
Kept Secret (Cornell University Press, 2004) and editor of What's Class
Got to Do With It? American Society in the Twenty-first Century
(Cornell University Press, 2004).
Sponsored by the UCD Social Justice Signature Area to promote the new CLAS Minor in Social Justice
Info: 303-556-6275 or email Chad Kautzer
Social Justice Web Site
NEW! A Matter of Edge: Border vs. Boundaries at La Frontera
Presented by the Philosophy Department
The Honi Haber Memorial Lecture
Presenter: Prof. Edward S. Casey
Wednesday, April 1
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
CU Denver Building (14th Street)
Executive MBA Auditorium, Suite 150
In this talk Professor Casey discusses the complex and evolving situation at La Frontera, the U.S.-Mexico border. He does so in light of his current research on the character of edges in human experience. In that research, he distinguishes several basic types of edge such as rims, frames, and margins. Two of these types are of particular relevance to the circumstance at La Frontera: borders and boundaries. He shall identify certain primary differences between these two kinds of edges in order to illuminate the earlier history of La Frontera as well as what is now happening at certain critical points such as Nogales and Tijuana. In so doing, he shall take up issues of mapping the border, the nature of the “borderline,” and the presence of the massive wall that has been constructed along considerable portions of La Frontera.
Edward S. Casey is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Stony Brook University, New York, and President-elect of the American Philosophical Association (APA). He is the author of numerous books, including The World at a Glance (2007), Earth-Mapping (2005), Representing Place in Landscape Painting and Maps (2002), The Fate of Place (1997), Getting Back into Place (1993), Imagining, 2nd edition (2001), Remembering, 2nd edition (2001), Spirit and Soul: Essays in Philosophical Psychology, 2nd edition (2004). Casey is currently writing a companion to The World at a Glance, to be entitled The World on Edge.
Refreshments will be served.
Info: 303-556-6275 or email Chad Kautzer
Educational Policies and Curriculum Committee (EPCC) Deadlines
The CLAS Educational Policies and Curriculum Committee (EPCC) will meet two more times in the spring semester: Mar. 20, and Apr. 17. Policies/procedures, general information, and forms for course and curriculum development can be found on this website.
EPPC Fall 09 Submission Deadlines:
1. Proposals for New Degree Programs or New or Revised Minors, Certificates or Options within Majors should normally be submitted electronically to Jill Hutchison in the Dean’s Office at least 14 days prior to the scheduled EPCC meetings for consideration. The next deadline is April 3.
2. All Course Proposals should be submitted electronically to Beverly Andes in the Dean’s Office at least 7 days prior to the scheduled EPCC meetings for consideration – by April 10.
Call for 2009-2010 CLAS Research Innovation Seed Program Proposals
CRISP grant proposals are invited from all tenured and tenure-track faculty to provide funding to facilitate and support research activities in CLAS. Proposed projects should result in new research projects accompanied by searches for external funding and plans for proposals or publication. Details of the program, submission requirements, allowed expenses, and required activities can be found in the attached document and the deadline for submission is April 10, 2009. The college has committed $50,000 to this program to be expended during the 2009-2010 academic year. Recipients will be notified by May 1, 2009.
The college anticipates making approximately 7-10 awards. Proposals must include a description of the research project, budget, budget justification and anticipated outcomes. Note that an essential aspect of the CRISP application is developing and documenting a relationship with the Office of Research Development and Education to identify potential funding sources, and the college will help facilitate this process.
Please contact Laura Argys with any questions you might have regarding the announcement, the program, or submission.
Language Enrichment Classes (non-credit)
There’s still room – register now!
Do you have a trip planned this summer for which you need conversational language training with helpful vocabulary and phrases? Consider taking one of our D3 enrichment language classes that have been postponed to allow for additional enrollment.
Chinese
Tuesdays and Thursdays
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
March 31 – May 7
Spanish (section 1)
Mondays and Wednesdays12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
March 30 – May 6
Spanish (section 2)
Tuesdays and Thursdays
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
March 31 – May 7
Location:All classes will meet on the Auraria Campus (rooms will be announced to students via email)
Cost: $220 for the course
Instructional Materials will be provided
Register online:
www.cudenver.edu/clas/enrichment
Please contact Kuan-Yi Rose Chang with questions.
12th Annual Research and Creative Activities Symposium
April 24, 2009, 10am - 3pm
Please encourage your undergraduate and graduate students to submit for presentation
-- poster presentations of student or student-faculty generated research findings
--
exhibitions of all forms of artwork
--
interactive or streaming media presentations (max. length: 12 minutes)
--
video presentations (max. length: 12 minutes)
--
performance presentations (max. length: 12 minutes)
--
literary readings (max. length: 12 minutes)
Please see the attached document for more information.
CLAS in the Spotlight
Brenda J. Allen, associate dean and professor of communication, was a visiting scholar at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, March 15-21. She presented a keynote speech entitled "In the Spirit of Organizing: Civil Rights and Social Justice 45 Years after the Mississippi Freedom Summer" for a week-long symposium commemorating the historic voting rights campaign in the South in the 1960s.
Maria deJesus Diaz-Perez, a PhD candidate in Health and Behavioral Sciences, has received a National Science Foundation Dissertation Enhancement Grant to conduct her dissertation research. Her research project is entitled “Migrant Health Status in a Migration Stream.” Maria will use the funds to conduct a bi-national study of the health determinants of men’s participation in a labor migration stream from Mexico to Colorado. Her research is also supported by stipends from the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences and the Latinos Using Cardio Health Actions to Reduce Risk (LUCHAR) project (Sheana Bull and Edward Havranek, PIs), and by a University Scholarship Team Grant.
UC Denver Publishes 11th Literary Journal
Yourhub.com, March 6, 2009
Jake Adam York, associate professor of English, was interviewed about the
The Denver debut of Copper Nickel's 11th issue which was at The Lab at Belmar in Lakewood on March 13.
Empty Shoes, Boots Honor Coloradoan Dead
CBS 4 Denver, March 11, 2009
Shoes and boots were on display as part of the Colorado Center for Public Humanities event, Eyes Wide Open. The shoes symbolized every Coloradoan killed in the Iraq war.
EVENTS
Women's History Month: Marjorie Levine-Clark
Monday, March 30
1-2:15 pm
Marjorie Levine-Clark, Associate Professor of History and Director of Women's and Gender Studies
Title of Talk: "Femininity, Masculinity, and Body Images in Historical Perspective"
Location:
King Center 318
Info: 303-556-2896
A Matter of Edge: Border vs. Boundaries at La Frontera
Honi Haber Lecture Series, Philosophy Department
Presenter: Prof. Edward S. Casey
Wednesday, April 1
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
CU Denver Building (14th Street)
Executive MBA Auditorium, Suite 150
Student Survival in the Economic Crisis
Presented by the Social Justice Minor Program
Wednesday, April 8
2:30 pm to 3:45 pm
North Classroom 1539
IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from Dean Howard
Foundations of Excellence
Classified Staff Evals
Fulbright Visiting Specialist
Outstanding Staff Award
Student Survival in Economic Crisis
A Matter of Edge, Honi Haber Lecture Series
EPPC Deadlines
CRISP Grant
Language Classes
Research and Creative Activities Symposium
CLAS in the Spotlight
Events
ARCHIVES:
Past issues since Jan 21, 2007.
USEFUL LINKS:
CLAS Event Calendar
CLAS News
Faculty Resources
Staff Resources
Campus News
The CLAS Deans' Notes is a bi-weekly newsletter
for college faculty and staff.
EDITOR:
Katy Brown
303.556.6663
Katy.Brown @ucdenver.edu