The Quad

On January 18, 2011, UMKC’s Alice Reckley Vallejos, Associate Professor of Spanish and C. Lynne Clawson-Day, Director of the High School/College Partnerships program received the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Collaborative’s 2011 Award in Higher Education. The Award recognizes their efforts to develop the Latinos of Tomorrow Scholarship Fest and then to expand it from a one-day event to a six-week Scholarship Essay Workshop.

The Scholarship Fest teaches participants how to plan and prepare for post-secondary schooling and finding scholarships that fit the student’s and parent’s profile and circumstances. It introduces students to the planning time-line and process of enrolling in college or any post-secondary training institutes, scholarship search engines, and current information on specific organizations that provide scholarships and college support to students. 

The Scholarship Essay Workshop is intended to help students in an individualized way throughout the college scholarship essay-writing process. Participants in the one-hour university course are assigned a mentor teacher who is available to offer assistance during both essay workshops and via several UMKC resources: email, web and library resources.

UMKC honored 21 winners of its outstanding achievements in teaching, research and service awards on March 8th at it “Celebration of Excellence”.  We congratulate all of the winners and are especially proud that among them there are six from the College of Arts and Sciences. The A&S awardees are:

Heidi Updike, Administrative Assistant, Department of Philosophy, Chancellor’s True Unsung Hero Staff Award		Jerzy Wrobel, Professor, Physics Department, In recognition of receiving the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Jennifer Lundgren, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Chancellor’s Early Career Award for Excellence in Teaching		Richard Delaware, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Kathy Goggin, Professor, Department of Psychology, N.T. Veatch Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity and also in recognition of receiving the Trustees Faculty Fellowship Award		Jared Bruce, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, in recognition of receiving the Trustees Faculty Scholar Award

In a surprise announcement at the end of the campus ceremony, the Provost reported that Gary Ebersole (History) had received the UM President’s University Citizenship Award for Leadership. For more see:

 http://info.umkc.edu/umatters/2011/03/15/two-umkc-faculty-receive-presidents-awards-um-systems-highest-honor//

Joy Swallow was recently recognized for her work in the field of education by the American Institute of Architects. The award, according to the AIA, “… was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.”

While total applications to A&S degree programs for FS 2011 are almost the same as they were for FS 2010 at the February 28 reporting date (2,023 to 2,025), they are differently distributed. They are up among those who would be first-time college students and down among those who would be graduate or transfer students.

Sungyop Kim (AUP+D) has been appointed as a member of the editorial advisory board of Accident Analysis and Prevention (AAP). AAP is published by Elsevier and  is the most prestigious peer-reviewed journal in the world in traffic safety and injury prevention. For more see:

http://journals.elsevier.com/00014575/accident-analysis-and-prevention/  

He also has accepted to a Visiting Fellowship with the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii this summer. See:

http://www.eastwestcenter.org/?id=99
 

Bob Stewart  (New Letters) reports a nice surprise: The March/April issue of Poets & Writers magazine features New Letters and New Letters on the Air in its section called Literary MagNet: News and Trends with the following citation:

    Seventy-seven years before Licitra cooked up Alimentum, New Letters 
    (www.newletters.org) was founded as the University Review at the University of 
    Kansas City (now a part of the University of Missouri system). The quarterly, whose 
    title was changed in 1971, has since garnered recognition not only for the print 
    journal, which has been home to new writing by luminaries such as Annie Dillard, 
    Charles Simic, and John Updike, but also for New Letters on the Air, a radio 
    program featuring authors reading from and talking about their work. Editor in 
    chief Robert Stewart accepts poetry and prose from established and emerging 
    writers through May 1.

    For more see:
        http://www.pw.org/content/literary_magnet_56
 

Beth Miller (Political Science) was interviewed by NPR for their “On the Media” program in early February about the effects of media coverage of scandal on retention of information about public figures’ policy positions. The interview was based on her current research. To read or listen to her interview go to:

  http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2011/02/11/06
 

Clancy Martin (Philosophy) had his novel How to Sell discussed in an essay on the “philosophical novel” in The New York Times in February, 2011. For more see:

  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/books/review/Ryerson-t.html?_r=1

He also had an  essay on Bikram Yoga and its founder published. See:

  http://www.details.com/contributors/clancy-martinhttp://www.details.com/contributors/clancy-martin
 

Jacob Wagner (AUP+D) has been named to the editorial board of the of  Journal of Urban Design.  See:

  http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=1357-4809&linktype=145
  

Bill Black (Economics) was interviewed by the media in Ireland to address the issues they are facing in their current credit system crisis. For more listen here:

  http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2011/02/15/interview-with-bill-black

His commentary has also recently appeared again in the New York Times as well as on Dutch Television as part of a documentary on the U.S. “Flash Crash.”
  

Michelle Boisseau (English) had her  poem “At My Brother’s Place” featured on Garrison Keillor’s radio program The Writer’s Almanac on December 15, (http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2010/12/15)

For more English Department achievements,  see their Spring 2011Newsletter at:

  http://cas.umkc.edu/english/documents/Newsletter–Spring 2011 Issue 1.pdf
 

L. Randall Wray (Economics) has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Ford Foundation for support of research on “alternative methods of providing government support in times of crisis, focusing on accountability, governance and transparency.” The award covers a 27 month period beginning November 1, 2010.

Ray Coveney, Jr. (Geosciences) has been a bird watcher and photographer for many years. He has compiled the photos in this video on “The Birds of 64110” over the past fifteen or so years. To see the video, go to:

 http://cas.umkc.edu/geosciences/video/Birdsof64110_RCoveney.wmv

UMKC hosted The Mid-America Medieval Association’s 35th Annual Conference, Feb. 25-26, 2011 at the University Center. Organized by Kathy Krause, (Foreign Languages and Literatures) and Shona Kelly Wray, (History), the theme of this year’s conference was “Medieval Recycling.”  Some 50 medievalists presented papers on topics in liter­ary studies, history, art history, and religious studies.   The key-note speaker was Dr. Sarah Kay, Professor of French at Princeton University, who spoke on “Recycling the Trou­badours: Quotation and the Development of European Poetry.”

See:
 http://www.midamericamedievalassociation.org

Ken Novak (Criminal Justice and Crimi­nology) recently co-authored Police & So­ciety (Oxford University Press, 2011). This widely-used textbook is in its 5th edition. Additional information can be found at

  http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/CriminologyCriminalJustice/?view=usa&ci=9780199772568
 

Jennifer Frangos (English)  is pleased to announce that The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation, now a quarterly academic journal, has complet­ed its transition to the University of Pennsylva­nia Press, and as of December 2010 has caught up the backlog of unpublished issues and is once again publishing on schedule: issue 52.1 (Spring 2011) is due to be released in March.

Frangos has also co-edited her new book: Teaching the Transatlantic Eighteenth Century, (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2010). 

For more see:                                      

http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/Teaching-the-Transatlantic-Eighteenth-Century1-4438-2266-3.htm
  

Nacer Khelouz, (Foreign Language and Literatures) has just published his book, Le roman algérien des années  1920: Entre fic­tion et réalité politique (Editions L’Harmattan: Paris). This work looks at the representation of colonial society in Algeria as seen in the Algerian novel of the 1920’s.   See: http://www.editions-harmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=catalogue&obj=livre&no=33452
 

Charles G. Spencer (Geosciences) adjunct professor is the author of Roadside Geology of Missouri. The book is the latest edition of the Roadside Geology series published by Mountain Press of Missoula, Montana. Books in the series are written for a non-technical audience and describe the geological sights along state and federal highways.   For more see:  (http://www.mountain-press.com/mountain-press.com).

In SP2011, there are 2,975 undergraduate majors enrolled in A&S; in SP 2010 the number was 2,801. In SP 2011, there are 672 graduate students in A&S degree programs; in SP 2010, there were 692.  The number of all students enrolled in A&S courses in SP 2011 was 4,433; in SP 2010 it was 4,265.

Max Skidmore (Political Science) Curators’ Professor of Political Science and Jerry Lonergan,  (B.A., 1980, in Economics) Associate Director of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City have been named to the UM Presi­dential Search Advisory Committee.

Years of Service Awards:

   
Rose Bell to End 32 Years of Service to UMKC in April 

Becky Bergman, Reggie Bassa, Rose Bell and Dean Karen Vorst at Retirement Reception

Rose Bell, Senior Academic Advisor in A&S Academic Advising, will retire on April 7, 2011, after 32 years at UMKC, including 30 years in the College of Arts and Sciences. Rose began her tenure in the College as the Administrative Assistant and Coordinator for A&S Scholarships and then as Executive Staff Assistant for many deans. Rose moved to A&S Academic Advising in 1993 and eventually became the College’s first Senior Academic Advisor. Rose served on a number of campus-wide committees over the years, including the Staff Assembly’s Governing Board, the Student Scholarship Selection and Appeals Committee, and the Chancellor’s Extended Cabinet. Rose also served on the board of MACADA (Missouri Academic Advising Association) and was an instructor for A&S 100 (freshman seminar course) for a number of years. Rose earned multiple awards in her years in the College, including the UMKC Outstanding Service and Support Staff Award (1986-87) and the PET (Paraprofessionals Evolving into Teachers) Project Service Award (1997). Rose is also a proud alumna, having earned both her BA in CJC and her MA in Higher Education at UMKC



David Atkinson, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Profes­sor of Political Science and Law retired effective March 1, 2011 after 44 years of service at UMKC.

Michael Neer, Professor of Communications Studies retired effective March 1, 2011 after 29 years of service at UMKC.

The Criminal Justice and Criminology Club sponsored a viewing of the KC Murder Factory, and used this as an opportunity to raise funds for the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime. The viewing was well attended – the theater (capacity 350) was nearly full.. Audience members included students, alumni, community members, as well as many victims of violent crime who were interviewed in the documentary.

  http://videos.kansascity.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=56576601

Congratulations to Psychology Department graduate students Alisha Adams and Liz Duval who were recipients of 2011Women’s Council Graduate Assistance Funds!   They were honored at the annual GAF Luncheon on March 15, 2011.  A description of their projects is below:

Alisha’s funding was awarded to cover the expenses of her thesis and to present her data at the upcoming APS Convention in May.  Her thesis examines the relation between perceptions of discrimination and health-related quality of life.  She collected data from over 200 Hispanic adults in the KC area. Alisha’s research mentor is Dr. Kym Bennett.

Liz’s award will provide funding for an exciting pilot study that is an extension of her dissertation. The funds will allow her to collect brain imaging data on a small sample of people with diagnosed social anxiety Dr. Filion and Dr. Lovelace are Liz’s mentors on the project , along with Dr. Cary Savage from the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center of University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMED) and Dr. Lisa Hale from the Kansas City Center for Anxiety Treatment and KUMED.

Jessica Bernard, (Mock Trial Coach) reported that mock trial team placed first at the Creighton Blue Jay Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska.  The team went undefeated (which means all eight judges gave them the win over our opponent) against some of their biggest competition in the Midwest, including Washburn, the University of Kansas, Creighton and Northwest Missouri State.  This was their second win of the season as the team placed 1st at Washington University’s Arch Invitational in December.  She says they have also received numerous compliments from schools that attended their invitational competition in January.  The New Student Union and the law school served to be excellent venues and all in attendance gave the students the highest praise for putting on an exceptionally well-organized tournament.