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March 21, 2007 |
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| New Leaders for Diversity Octavio Villalpando is the New Associate Vice President for Diversity Octavio Villalpando, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, has been selected as the new associate vice president for diversity at the U. “This is an exciting time for the University of Utah and the issue of diversity,” says Villalpando. “I feel fortunate to be in a position to contribute to taking the next steps.” In addition to tracking the traditional indicators of institutional excellence, Villalpando says that a principal measure of the U’s effectiveness will be how well we enhance the success of diverse students, faculty and staff, and that we link our excellence to how well we support and improve the success of diverse communities. An example is the Adelante Partnership, a college awareness program at Jackson Elementary School, which has one of the highest proportions of students of color in the state. The program was designed by Villalpando and his colleague, Enrique Alemán, to help K-12 students and their parents prepare for college attendance. “In many respects, the U is in a position that most of higher education would envy, able to pursue and create new policy and practice with twenty-plus years of research behind us.” Subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, Villalpando steps into the position on March 15. For more information, read the press release at www.unews.utah.edu.
Some of those “next steps” mentioned by Villalpando have already been taken. On Tuesday, March 20, it was announced that the national search for a new director for the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs (CESA) has been completed. Effective April 2, Rich Garcia will assume the role “and begin to lead a committed and talented team of student services professionals in CESA,” said Vallalpando. Garcia has a background in counseling and student support services, as well as knowledge of CESA, having previously served as an administrative program coordinator with them for approximately five years. He is a licensed clinical social worker and completed his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Masters of Social Work at the U. “He will leave his private practice in order to lead CESA into our next phase of exciting work in support of historically underserved students at the University,” added Villalpando. “Please join me in welcoming Rich back home, and in expressing our appreciation to the search committee for their very thoughtful work throughout this search process.”
After nearly a one-year search, Michael L. Hardman, professor and chair of the U’s Department of Special Education and the Department of Teaching and Learning, has been named dean of the College of Education. “I am extremely pleased to announce Dr. Hardman’s appointment and believe that he will make a dynamic leader for the College of Education,” said David W. Pershing, senior vice president for academic affairs. “It is an honor to be selected,” says Hardman. “I am excited about the opportunity to work closely with nationally recognized faculty who are leading the way in advancing research in education and preparing our students to become the educational leaders of tomorrow.” While Hardman served as professor and chair in the College of Education, the Special Education Department earned a seventh-place ranking by the Chronicle of Higher Education in scholarly productivity among peers in 166 universities. Among his many additional responsibilities, Hardman serves as the university coordinator for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring, and is a member of the board of directors for the Council for Exceptional Children. Hardman replaces Ted Packard, who has served as interim dean since May 2006 when former dean David J. Sperry took a leave from the U. Hardman’s appointment is effective July 1, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees. For more details, read the press release at www.unews.utah.edu.
FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE Divine
Wind According to an April 30, 2006 TIME magazine article by Jeffrey Kluger, it was Kerry Emanuel, an atmospheric scientist at MIT and one of the world’s leading authorities on hurricanes, who made the connection between Hurricane Katrina devastating New Orleans and the true cost of climate change. “Less than a month before Katrina hit,” he writes, “the journal Nature published an extensive study that Emanuel had conducted in which he surveyed the power of roughly 4,800 hurricanes going back decades. In that span of time—the period during which climatologists have been warning that greenhouse gases are steadily raising atmospheric and ocean temperatures—the power of the storms doubled. While others were predicting an explosion of more powerful storms, Emanuel offered evidence that it was actually happening.” In his newest book, Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes (Oxford University Press), Emanuel explains how such benign climates give rise to the most powerful storms in the world and what modern science has learned about them. The book was named “One of the Top Twenty Science Books of 2005” by Discover magazine. Emanuel also was chosen as one of TIME magazine’s “100 People Who Shape Our World” in 2006 for his research on hurricanes. Kerry Emanuel is a professor of atmospheric science at MIT (since 1981) and formerly taught at UCLA. For more information on the lecture, contact: Jim DeGooyer at 581-6958 or jdegooyer@science.utah.edu.
Send your answer (be specific!) to FYI@ucomm.utah.edu by noon on Thursday, Mar. 22 for a chance to win one golf lesson and a free round of golf for two people courtesy of Outdoor Recreation Services. The winner will be randomly selected from the pool of those submitting the correct answer. The winner will be listed in the April 4 FYI News. Thanks to Outdoor Recreation Services for providing the prize! This contest is open to U of U faculty and staff only.
WOMEN’S
WEEK 2007 New From Podcasting From the U As part of this year’s Women’s Week programming, 17 women and men presented monologues that consider experiences related to motherhood within the context of race, ethnicity, class, gender expression, sexuality, and social constructions of motherhood. This is a two-part program. You can listen from your computer or download to your IPOD or MP3 player at www.utah.edu/podcast.
TRANSIT
NEWS The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is planning to implement a major redesign of its Salt Lake County bus system on Aug. 26. To learn details, U of U staff, faculty, and students are invited to attend an open house on Wednesday, March 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 6th floor of Rice-Eccles Stadium Tower. The U of U community is encouraged to participate in the public hearing process by attending and reviewing the proposed route changes with UTA officials. Nearly all bus routes to and from the U will be impacted by the redesign. The open house is an opportunity to provide comments and concerns. Bus and TRAX schedule maps—both existing and proposed—may be found here. Additional Public Hearings Tuesday, March 20 Thursday, March 22
The Board of Trustees has approved honorary doctoral degrees for seven individuals who will be honored at commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 4. The awards are made to individuals who merit special recognition for service or achievement, this year’s recipients include A. Scott Anderson for Doctor of Business; Orrin G. Hatch for Doctor of Laws; L. Ralph Mecham for Doctor of Laws; Mickey Ibarra for Doctor of Humane Letters; Carmen B. Pingree for Doctor of Education; James L. Sorenson for Doctor of Science and to this year’s commencement speaker, Thomas S. Monson, for Doctor of Business. For more details, read the press release at www.unews.utah.edu.
The final screening in this year’s free Middle East Film Series will be A New Day in Old Sana’a on Wednesday, March 28 at 6 p.m. in the UMFA auditorium. For the past four years, the series has provided an opportunity to educate those who are not familiar with the Middle East, offering a chance to see the landscape and every-day life of the people of the area. This year’s post-screening discussions have been led by Laurence Loeb, a professor in the anthropology department. FYI recently asked him about the series. FYI: How did the series start? LAURENCE LOEB: I approached Linda Adams, outreach director for the Middle East Center, about five years ago and asked her if she thought we could and ought to make it happen. FYI: What’s the goal of the series? LOEB: To allow Middle East filmmakers to convey their understanding of everyday life, generally through fiction, and compare how we here, and they there, interpret the social milieu within which they operate. FYI: How are the films chosen? LOEB: I screen all kind of films for inclusion. I have Linda and others comment on my interests. Sometimes an overall theme emerges which guides the choice, other times the power of the film itself seems to demand its inclusion. (They invite suggestions—send to linda.adams@m.cc.utah.edu.) FYI: What is your goal with the after-film discussion? LOEB: To enable non-experts to better understand the events, concerns and attitudes of Middle Eastern people, through an appreciation of the social-cultural system they belong to. FYI: What has surprised you about the audience? LOEB: The enthusiasm, willingness to ask and respond to questions, wide range of ages, ethnicity, and educational level. FYI: What have you found rewarding about leading the discussions? LOEB: I have largely tried to avoid confronting the headline-making political issues associated with the contemporary Middle East, but have chosen to approach them only indirectly. Surprisingly, in our discussions, very few have tried push us into the abyss of the unanswerable polemical confrontational matters. Our discussions often go on for 30 minutes or more and many stay for a substantial part of them. We have been attracting well over 100 participants to each of our screenings. I only wish more students, faculty, staff and the public at-large would avail themselves of this cost-free opportunity to enjoy a good film while learning about the vibrancy of Middle Eastern people and our common humanity. We invite everyone to join us next year when we celebrate our fifth season.
The S.J. Quinney College of Law is looking for members of the community to act as jurors for the Trial Advocacy Mock Trials to be held at the Matheson Courthouse or the Federal Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City on April 6, 7, 13 and 14. Help is needed to decide the verdict of each case. A trial takes about six hours from start to finish. Actual judges will preside while second- or third-year law students act as attorneys. Friday trials begin at 1 p.m. and Saturday trials begin at 9 a.m. Cases include a murder charge against an estranged husband, a felony murder charge against an alleged grocery store robber, and a civil claim against an insurance company regarding an accidental death/suicide. A $10 thank you will be given to jurors at the end of each trial. Interested? Contact Trina Rich at 581-8660 or richt@law.utah.edu for more information.
• Knowing
History: Yours, Mine, and Ours • Redistricting
Reform in Utah: • Community
Forum meeting • Middle
East film series • Science
and Engineering Fair On Thursday, March 29,
the public is invited to view the student exhibits from For more information, contact Lisa James at 230-9399 or lisadjames@att.net. • DAYS
OF REMEMBRANCE 2007 • Local
artists to perform living gallery • Fine
arts museum offers FREE admission • Meet
the candidates |
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