Message from Associate Dean Brenda J. Allen
Disability Matters
I hope you attended some of the campus events celebrating Disability Awareness Month. The fourth annual Auraria Disability Awareness Festival (October 8) featured over 30 vendors who shared information about various resources and services. Also, comedian Josh Blue, winner of Season 4 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, performed for an appreciative audience in the Tivoli Turnhalle. I laughed out loud at his thought-provoking jokes that defy stereotypes about people with disabilities. On October 22, UC Denver’s Disability Resources and Services Office held an open house to demonstrate cutting edge services and technology that they provide for students enrolled in their programs. Auraria Art-Ability, a month-long art show, featured works of art created by faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members with disabilities.
These and other activities illustrate that disability matters at UCD: “Disability is important to the diversity of this campus and necessary to consider when creating inclusive environments. . . . Seeing disability as diversity means understanding the political, historical, social, and environmental aspects of disability identity and disability on campus.” [UCD Disability Committee Website]
The CLAS Diversity Council concurs with this philosophy, and we have decided to focus this academic year on students with disabilities. Our main goals are: to increase students’ awareness of options for assistance and accommodations; create a more supportive community for students with disabilities; and, to provide opportunities for faculty and staff development related to students with disabilities. We plan to offer a variety of events and resources to accomplish these goals. We will work closely with Lisa McGill, Director of UCD’s Disability Resources and Services Office. We also will partner with the UCD Disabilities Committee, which Amy Vidali (Assistant Professor in the English Department) chairs. Amy, who also is a member of the CLAS Diversity Council, was awarded a CU Diversity and Excellence grant for a Diversity as Disability Series. In February 2009, she brought renowned disability studies scholar Rosemarie Garland-Thomson to campus. On November 18 at 1 p.m., she will sponsor Susan M. Schweik, Professor of English and co-director of the Disability Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Schweik will discuss her book, The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public (2009, NYU Press), a watershed study of numerous ordinances against being “found ugly” on the streets of many U.S. cities from the late 1860s to the 1970s. Please mark your calendars for what promises to be an enlightening presentation. (View brochure)
The CLAS Diversity Council is excited about our plans for our inaugural year. We encourage you to share ideas for resources we might provide, programs we might develop, or speakers we might invite to campus. We also hope that you will participate in our events. We will value your guidance and support as we delve into disability matters to help achieve priority #5 in our strategic plan: “to enhance diversity across the college and foster a culture of inclusion” [CLAS Strategic Plan 2008 – 2020].
Best wishes,
Brenda J.
New! Islam in American Culture: "Islam and the Contemporary Novel"
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7pm in the Tivoli Turnhalle
"Islam and the Contemporary Novel," with Laleh Khadivi, the award-winning author of the novel, The Age of Orphans (Bloomsbury, 2009) will speak at 7pm in the Tivoli Turnhalle.
Presented by UC Denver Live, Copper Nickel and the Center for Public Humanities.
Visit the Colorado Center for Public Humanities website for a description of the “Islam in American Culture” series.
New! Giving Back Campaign
During this holiday time, UC Denver will be celebrating in a different way. In honor of the spirit of giving the season entails, Chancellor M. Roy Wilson is launching a Giving Back Campaign. All faculty and staff will be given one half day of work time to go into the community and participate in a volunteer activity of their choice. Individuals may choose to use their time to participate in a volunteer activity of which they are already a part. Or you may participate in a group activity with others from your area, or across the university.
The campaign, which runs from Nov. 2, 2009 through Feb. 1, 2010, will seek to quantify the total volunteer activities and breadth of activities. After your volunteer activity, you’ll be asked to visit the Giving Back Campaign website to provide a brief synopsis of your accomplishments. These stories will be used to provide a more complete picture of the contributions our university makes to our community every day.
For more information on the campaign, to understand details or to see a list of potential volunteer opportunities, visit the Giving Back Campaign website.
New! Professor Emeritus of Communication Robley D. Rhine Passes Away
Dr. Rhine left a legacy at the University of Colorado Denver, where he dedicated 27 years of his life as a professor, chair and associate dean. He came to UC Denver in 1967 to create the Communication program for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As Chair, he built a department that is still committed to providing students with a strong education and life skills to make a positive impact on the world.
Dr. Rhine was a dedicated leader and member of the college. During his tenure with UC Denver, he also served as Associate Dean for the Division of Arts and Humanities. After retiring, he established a professorship in rhetorical theory. He was quoted as saying, “I want to help perpetuate the department, the college and the Denver Campus.” He is fondly remembered by the Communication Department chairs, with whom he kept close ties, for contributing ideas, materials, as well as subscriptions to major journals in the communication discipline. His generosity also extended to donating funds to assist graduate students to attend conferences.
His dedication wasn’t limited to the Communication Department and the College. He also was an avid supporter of the Auraria Library. He served for years on the Friends of the Auraria Library Board.
Dr. Brenda J. Allen, former chair of the Communication Department and Associate Dean of Planning and Initiatives expressed that, “[Dr. Rhine] and his late wife, Peg (who taught at CU Boulder), were outstanding human beings and educators who cared deeply about the potential of communication to make the world better.”
New! Sociology Fall Newsletter
The Department of Sociology has published its fall newsletter. View it here.
2009-10 Dissemination Grants
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is providing support to its faculty for engaging in activities that promote their research activities and enhance the profile of the college and university. The CLAS Dissemination Grant program is designed to provide tenure-track and tenured faculty with funds for disseminating research via publication (page and other publication charges), travel to support presentations at professional meetings, website design related to communication of research results, or other scholarly dissemination venues. Applications will be due 11/06/09 to Associate Dean Laura Argys. Obtain application here.
Travel Study Classes
Please share with your students
Department of Anthropology
"Field Experiences in Sustainable Development and Health"
The Department of Anthropology annual field school "Field Experiences in Sustainable Development and Health" is accepting applications. This is an intensive four week introduction to field research techniques, sustainable development and questions of health in tropical Ecuador. We are partnering with a local foundation (Yachana Foundation), the Yachana eco-lodge and an alternative high school in our efforts to better understand sustainable development and health in rural South America. For more information, please contact Dr. John Brett (303-556-8497) or Dr. Jean Scandlyn.
The brochure and application can be found on the study abroad website.
A short video slide show produced by one of last year's students can be found here.
Department of Communication
"Nobel Cause: Peace and Justice in Guatemala"
Maymester Travel Study Course: May 15-June 5, 2010
Professor: Dr. EJ Yoder
Program brochure available here
"Narratives of New China: Engagement and Exploration"
Maymester Travel Study Course: May 15-June 5, 2010
Professors: Drs. Barbara Walkosz and Lisa Keränen
China program brochure available here
CLAS Educational Policies and Curriculum Committee Updates (EPCC)
The Fall 2009 meeting dates for the CLAS Educational Policies and Curriculum Committee (EPCC) are: November 20 and December 18 (tentative – may not meet). Policies/procedures, general information, and forms for course and curriculum development can be found here.
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. Future deadlines are November 6 and December 4.
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 – November 13 or December 11.
Our Catalog edit deadline dates have been moved up to mid-November, so any changes you’d like to see reflected in the 2010-2011 Catalog will need to be submitted to the EPCC using the October deadlines.
Faculty: RSVP Online for Fall Commencement
2009 Downtown Fall Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, December 12, 2009, at 9:00 a.m.
Colorado Convention Center
Don your regalia and enjoy a continental breakfast at
7:30 a.m. in Meeting Rooms 301/302/303
RSVP by registering online (whether you own regalia or not) at
OR by linking through the main UC Denver website
under <academic life> <graduation>
If you have further questions or need assistance, please contact Heather Hunt, Events Coordinator via email or 303.315.5815.
Whether you need to borrow regalia or already own regalia, please take a few moments to register for the fall commencement ceremony and related activities. Doing so greatly assists the Commencement Office with planning and will ensure you receive an invitation to the reception at the Chancellor’s home in the spring, as well as, occasional email updates and reminders pertinent to fall commencement.
Please note: once you have completed your registration, you will receive an email confirmation that contains links making it easy to add the selected commencement activities to your calendar.
CLAS in the Spotlight
Assistant Professor of History Thomas Andrews, has received the Caroline Bancroft Prize for the best book on the history of the American West from the Denver Public Library for his first published book, "Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War." Andrews has received a total of six awards this year for his book.
Associate Dean Brenda J. Allen facilitated a workshop entitled “Leading Change in Higher Education: Looking More Closely at Race, Gender, and Power” for the Denver Institute for Higher Education Resource Services on October 22.
An article written by Assistant Professor of Communication Hamilton Bean, ‘“A Complicated and Frustrating Dance”: National Security Reform, the Limits of Parrhesia, and the Case of the 9/11 Families,’ appears in Rhetoric & Public Affairs (Volume 12, Number 3, Fall 2009).
Nicole Beer, assistant professor of English, has a poem, "Post-Mortem," featured in this week's "Poet's Choice" column in the Washington Post.
The Copper Nickel Halloween Fundraising event held on October 27 was highlighted in last week's Westword in the event listings section.
Assistant Professor of Integrative Biology Laurel Hartley contributed to a new computer interactive that is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil" exhibition. The interactive is also on the Smithsonian website where it is accessible to all visitors. The interactive game teaches people about greenhouse gas emissions from soil and was developed using real data and simulation models created by ecological researchers.
On October 30, Department of Communication Chair Stephen John Hartnett, presented the keynote address, entitled “Moving Toward Social Justice,” at the University of Colorado Boulder conference on “Making It Real: Service Learning and Civic Engagement.”
Associate Professor of Philosophy David Hildebrand presented a paper entitled "Dewey's Last Lost Book: Initial Impressions and Reflections" at John Dewey's 150th Birthday Celebration: An International Conference on Dewey's Impact on America and the World," held at the Center for Inquiry in Amherst NY, October 22-24. This panel discussed the contents and significance of a recently discovered book manuscript Dewey produced late in his career and was long presumed lost in a New York city taxicab.
Laura Lemon, a graduate student in the Department of Communication, is featured in a photo with her father in the Denver Post (Sunday, Oct. 25, page 9B). Her father, an alumnus of Colorado State University, is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who was honored at the CSU football halftime ceremony. Laura received a scholarship from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to attend the master's program in communication.
Baby’s First A+
Natural Solutions Magazine, Oct. 2009
Professor of Economics Daniel Rees interviewed with Natural Solutions Magazine for a story on his breastfeeding and siblings study. The story ran in the October issue.
Professor Emeritus of Communication Robley D. Rhine passed away last week. You may read his obituary in the Boulder Daily Camera.
Assistant Professor of Integrative Biology Michael Wunder coauthored a research paper titled "Concurrent declines in nestling diet quality and reproductive success of a threatened seabird over 150 years" that was published in the journal Endangered Species Research. The collaborative work appeared in a theme issue titled "forensic methods in conservation research." The study compared age ratios and stable-nitrogen isotopes in feathers from museum collections of Marbled Murrelets with those for contemporary wild Murrelets to demonstrate that a decrease in diet quality was associated with a decrease in reproductive success over a 150 year period. Marbled Murrelets are seabirds that nest inland in the temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest, but that commute to the sea to forage. The species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Events
Islam in American Culture: Islam and the Contemporary Novel
by the Colorado Center for Public Humanities
Tuesday, Nov. 3
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Tivoli Turnhalle
with Laleh Khadivi, the award-winning author of the novel, The Age of Orphans(Bloomsbury, 2009)
(More information)
Economics Fall Seminar Series
Hani Mansour, University of Colorado Denver
Friday, Nov. 6
3:30 pm
Title: "The Career Effects of Graduating from College in a Bad Economy: The Role of Workers' Ability"
Lawrence Street Center, Room 450
Philosophy Fall Lecture Series
Candice Shelby, Associate Professor at UC Denver
Wednesday, Nov. 18
2:30 - 4:00 pm
Title: "Shifting Conceptual Spaces "
Honi Haber Library, Plaza Bldg M108A
Robert Glennon
Unquenchable: America's Water Problem and What to do about it
Thursday, Nov. 19
7:00 pm
Tivoli Turnhalle
Contact Gregory DeAngelo for more information
IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from Associate Dean Allen
Islam and the Contemporary Novel
Giving Back Campaign
Robley D. Rhine Passes Away
Sociology Newsletter
Dissemination Grants
Travel Study Classes
EPCC Updates
Fall Commencement
CLAS in the Spotlight
Events
ARCHIVES:
Past issues since Jan 21, 2007.
USEFUL LINKS:
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