A world-premiere adaptation for UMKC by Emmy-award- winning writer Ron Hutchinson of an American classic story was presented April 23-May 1, 2011. The craze of marathon dance competitions sweeps through 1930s Los Angeles, where the unemployed and desperate dance for weeks, and sometimes till death, to win money and fame.
UMKC continues its service to community writers, readers, and want-to-be writers with two annual workshops tailored for both lay people and students. Beginning writers and those more established can attend each course for college credit or for noncredit.
The Mark Twain Writers Workshop runs each weekday morning for three weeks, starting Monday, June 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and offers instruction in fiction, creative nonfiction, stage and screen writing, and poetry from New Letters editor Robert Stewart and novelist Michael Pritchett. Featured this year will be a symposium, “Getting Published,” with guest speakers and publishers.
The New Letters Weekend Writing Conference: Friday evening, June 24th, marks the start of the New Letters Weekend Writers Conference, held off campus at UMKC’s conference center and retreat in midtown, Diastole, running through Sunday, June 26th. The keynote address will be given Friday at 5:30 p.m. by two-time National Book Critics Circle Award winner, essayist, novelist, and poet Albert Goldbarth. The conference features instruction on how to write plays, scripts for TV and movies, poetry, fiction and journalism. For more see: http://www.newletters.org/writingConferences.asp
Two A&S students have been awarded the 2011 Summer Scholarships to intern in Missouri delegation Congressional offices. David Jordan, a Communications Studies major, will work in Representative Cleaver’s office and Alex Conaway, a Political Science major will work in Representative Clay’s office. Support for this academic credit-earning opportunity comes from the Truman Center and its donors as well as the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Assistant Professor Beth Miller (Political Science) mentors the students. This is the third summer in which two UMKC students have had the chance to work in Congress under the sponsorship of the Truman Center. For more on the Truman Center and its activities, see: http://cas.umkc.edu/TrumanCenter/
The College of Arts and Sciences graduated more than 850 students on May 6, 2011 with undergraduate majors, minors or graduate degrees.
Three A&S faculty are among co-authors of an interdisciplinary book on Germany.
THE HAPPY BURDEN OF HISTORY: From Sovereign Impunity to Responsible Selfhood. Andrew Stuart Bergerson, (History) K. Scott Baker, (Foreign Languages and Literatures, Clancy Martin, (Philosophy) and Steve Ostovich ( College of St. Scholastica)
The Happy Burden of History takes an integrative approach to the problem of responsible selfhood. Exploring the lives and letters of ordinary and intellectual Germans who faced the ethical challenges of the Third Reich, it focuses on five typical tools for cultivating the modern self: myths, lies, nonconformity, irony, and modeling. It was published by: De Gruyeter, March 2011.
For more see:
http://www.degruyter.com/cont/fb/li/detailEn.cfm?id=IS-9783110246360-1&ad=he
Steve Dilks (English) has had his new book Samuel Beckett in the Literary Marketplace published by Syracuse University Press.
. http://www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/spring-2011/ samuel-beckett.html
For a review of Dilks’ book see: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/23/2817381/readorama-umkc-professors-book.html
For more activities and achievements of the English Department see:
http://cas.umkc.edu/english/documents/Newsletter–Spring%202011%20Issue%202.pdf
I am planning a mid-summer issue for July and then a back to school issue for early September. Suggested Items on new faculty and staff, summer achievements and awards by faculty, staff and students are welcome. Send suggestions and comments to Dale Neuman at Neumand@umkc.edu.
The Advanced Certificate Program in GIS of the College hosted the UMKC Faculty Symposium on GIS Education and Research on March 25, 2011. More than 40 faculty, staff, administrators, students, and invited guests participated in this event at the Administrative Center of UMKC. Faculty from the College departments of Geosciences, Economics, AUP+D, Sociology, and Criminal Justice and Criminology, as well as from the School of Computing and Engineering, the Bloch School of Management, and UMKC Libraries presented their teaching, research, or application activities with geographic information systems (GIS) -related techniques.
In addition, led by Lynne Clawson-Day, Director of High School/ College Partnerships (HSCP), high school representatives of HCSP also participated in the symposium and presented their dual-credit teaching projects. Currently, Columbia Area Career Center/Columbia Public Schools have adopted Geosciences’ GIS course as part of their dual-credit programs with UMKC. Prior to the symposium, Prof. Wei “Wayne” Ji of Geosciences, Director of Advanced Certificate Program in GIS, visited Columbia Area Career Center and talked to the students there. (See photo).
The Advanced Certificate Program in GIS of the College was established in 2006 and has been growing rapidly. It has enrolled over 90 students including many working professionals. Through related teaching and student research activities, the program supports many academic programs of UMKC. For more see: http://cas.umkc.edu/Geosciences/advGis.asp
Ninety –Eight A&S graduating seniors were awarded Latin Honors at Commencement on May 6, 2011. Forty were summa cum laude; 58 were magna cum laude.
