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Colleges of the South > Newsletters > Winter 2005 Newsletter |
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Winter 2005
ACS Receives $500,000 Grant from The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation to Address Critical Areas
In the area of diversity, the ACS Diversity Planning Committee will build on work already begun in this high-priority area to focus on sustainability and quality of efforts, rather than quantity, in the pursuit of inclusiveness, equity and educational excellence. Safe campus climates that welcome, respect and celebrate diversity are a high priority, and learning to better manage diversity and to tap its potential to the fullest, while being fiscally responsible, is a major challenge to be addressed. Strategies will include diversity leadership education, pilot programs, program models and case studies, identification of best practices, evaluation of consortial and campus diversity initiatives, faculty and staff development, mini-grants and consultations. ACS is excited about this opportunity and appreciates the confidence The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation has expressed in the consortium by awarding this grant. For more information, contact Beth Bowser, ACS, at bowser@colleges.org. ACS Awards 11 Technology Fellowships ACS has awarded 11 technology fellowships to 13 ACS faculty members for 2005. Faculty from six ACS institutions received fellowships. These awards of $2,500 for each project are for the development of teaching materials or other curricular enhancements in which technology plays a key role and which have potential application for other ACS institutions. The following ACS faculty members received fellowships:
ACS received 27 applications from 10 institutions for 2005 Technology Fellowships. The President’s View I would like to pay tribute to the ACS staff on this occasion, knowing how critical they have been to the strength and success of the consortium over time. Their solid experience and extraordinary talents give me reason to be particularly sanguine as we look forward to serving our member institutions in the future. Let me first express gratitude to Dara Hawkins, our office manager and coordinator in the Atlanta office, who has done a wonderful job of keeping us on track in myriad ways over eight years. Among our program directors, Suzanne Bonefas has been a tower of strength in bringing our Technology Center into existence and leading it with such distinction. She is the principal reason why the center has served our faculty and students so well, gaining regional and national renown in the process. Special kudos go to Beth Bowser as our “utility infielder” who is in charge of about two dozen program portfolios. Citing only one area, she is providing terrific support for the new science effort geared to students who are not majoring in science. Meanwhile, Elizabeth MacNabb brings great zeal and talent to the consortium’s environmental initiatives. She has worked beautifully with faculty, staff and students to create and sustain an exciting and valuable program for the member institutions. Special thanks go to Cindy Reese, who as our financial director effectively oversees the regular ACS budget as well as all of the numerous grants given to the consortium. She does a marvelous job, which our auditing firm has applauded on numerous occasions. Special thanks go to Teresa Wise who is a splendid leader of ACS international initiatives and the complicated Global Partners programs carried out in concert with the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Great Lakes Colleges Association. She has done yeoman work in shaping and coordinating successful Global Partners efforts, including our Fall semester program for students in Turkey . Looking further at our Technology Center staff, Rebecca Davis deserves special praise for her remarkable success in program development and administration. Patricia Gray is an extraordinary talent, as seen in her leadership with our music program. Special tributes are due for her program development efforts. Eric Jansson is very much appreciated for his system and software development and program work. Tim Moore, our system administrator, handles server administration and software development, and is doing an outstanding job. Jennifer Whitman, who has recently joined the staff, has already proved her worth in coordinating the numerous events offered at the Center. Christiane Williams, meanwhile, does an incredible job at the center of our communication systems, coordinating our communication data, serving as our cooperative webmaster and managing the technology effort in our Atlanta office. The following students have also been a real boon to our technology effort: Janice Becca, Lars Koenig, Natalija Milutinovic, Nathan Roe, Jeremy Russell and Chad Scott. Each student has contributed and been a joy for staff and others to work with. In short, we have a championship team, and we are ready to respond to the needs and interests of our institutions as effectively as possible. Wayne Anderson
National Undergraduate Research conference The 19th National Conference on Undergraduate Research will beheld on the adjoining campuses of Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute April 21-23, 2005. The conference will bring together undergraduates involved in scholarly and artistic activities representing disciplines including creative arts, mathematics, business, social science, humanities, physical and life sciences, natural resources and engineering, among others. Participants are expected from more than 300 institutions, representing almost every state. Since its inception in 1987, the conference has become a major annual event drawing more than 2,500 undergraduates, faculty and administrators to hear and discuss undergraduate creative and scholarly work. In addition, the conference presents an opportunity to hear nationally prominent speakers and to discuss educational policy, programs and funding for undergraduate scholarly work. For more information, go to http://ncur.wlu.edu/home.htm. 2005 Teaching Nonproliferation Summer Institute 2005 Teaching Nonproliferation Summer Institute: Integrating Science & Politics in the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction The 2005 Teaching Nonproliferation Summer Institute will be held June 27- July 2, 2005, at Washington and Lee University. The workshop is designed to help instructors prepare or update course material related to weapons of mass destruction and nonproliferation. Experts on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons will present current information on issues facing the United States and the world. The final day of the conference will be devoted to course development and the exchange of curricular material. Attention will be given to the development of interdisciplinary courses that integrate science and social science perspectives. For more information, go to http://wmd.wlu.edu/. ACS Summer Teaching and Learning Workshop The ACS Summer Teaching and Learning Workshop will be held June7-12, 2005, at Rollins College. Institutions are invited to nominate representatives from their campuses. The deadline for submitting nominations is February 1, 2005. The workshop provides a forum in which teachers can hone their skills, trade ideas and return to their campuses to enhance a culture of excellent teaching. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/summerteach/summerteach.html, or contact Terry Goodrick, Birmingham-Southern College, at tgoodric@bsc.edu. Back International Programs International Best Practices Workshops The Global Partners Best Practices Task Force is offering a series of workshops for faculty and administrators from ACS, the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Great Lakes Colleges Association. These workshops will focus on ways to improve off-campus study programs. The workshops, designed for approximately 15 to 20 participants, will be led by experts from the 42 colleges. The workshops are listed below. For more information, go to www.global-partners.org/bestprac/workshops.html, or contact Daniel Sack, ACM, at dsack@acm.edu. Disability issues and study abroad Colleges across the three consortia are working to increase the number of their students that study abroad. In this work they must accommodate students with medical concerns or other disabilities. Workshop participants will share their experiences and best practices in dealing with medical and disability issues. Experienced resource people will offer suggestions for handling these challenges fairly and effectively. Recruiting and training faculty for taking students abroad This workshop is for those who recruit and train, rather than for the faculty. It will include the cross-cultural and pedagogical character of study abroad, as well as some administrative responsibilities. Liberal arts and international education With support from a Global Partners Project grant, several international program directors and faculty have been talking about how international education can transform the liberal arts experience. In this workshop, they will lead discussions focused on strengthening the curricular link to off-campus study. Developing cross-cultural studies programs Cross-cultural and intercultural education has been a theme throughout the Best Practice work. International students coming to the United States and American students going abroad both deal with substantial cultural transitions and tensions. This workshop will look at that transition process as an educational opportunity, and using the program at Carleton College as a model, examine ways to develop a cross-cultural studies program. BackFaculty Development Seminar in Turkey The Global Partners Turkey Task is pleased to sponsor participation in the Council on International Educational Exchange’s seminar “At the Crossroads: Politics, Religion and Culture in Turkey.” The seminar takes place June 8-19, 2005. For the selected participants, Global Partners will cover travel, the cost of the academic program, and the cost of a visa. Approximately five participants will be selected. Applications are due by February 1, 2005. For more information, go to www.global-partners.org/turkey/SeminarApp05.html, or contact Teresa Wise, ACS, at twise@colleges.org. Russia, Central Europe and the Liberal Arts: A Global Partners Symposium and Reunion Global Partners Project will host “Russia, Central Europe and the Liberal Arts: A Global Partners Symposium and Reunion” on April 8-10, 2005, at the University of Richmond. Over the last five years, the Global Partners Project has supported engagement in Central Europe and Russia by faculty at ACS, Associated Colleges of the Midwest and Great Lakes Colleges Association institutions. More than 60 faculty have participated in four traveling seminars and more than 50 have received travel grants to visit and study the region. The project has supported area specialists and interested non-specialists, with the goals of attracting students and integrating the study of Russia and Central Europe into the liberal arts curriculum. The project will culminate with this symposium. The symposium will bring together seminar participants, travel grant recipients and other interested faculty from the 42 Global Partners colleges to assess the state of the field, to review work supported by the project and to identify future tasks and opportunities for the colleges and consortia in studying the region. Some sessions will look at curricular approaches to the region appropriate for liberal arts colleges. Seminar alumni and travel grant recipients will report on their work. There will be small-group discussions, plenary sessions, and panels. The registration deadline is February 15, 2005. For more information, go to www.global-partners.org/cerus/symposium.html, or contact Kim Tunnicliff at ktunnicliff@acm.edu. BackPlans Under Way for 13th Annual Latin American Studies Symposium The Latin American Studies program at Birmingham-Southern College invites participants to the 13th Annual Latin American Studies Symposium, at Birmingham-Southern College, April 8-9, 2005. The Latin American Studies Symposium is an undergraduate interdisciplinary research conference where students present original research papers. Faculty are invited to serve as panel chairs and discussants. Eric Zolov, a professor at Franklin & Marshall College and historian, is the keynote speaker. His scholarship focuses on three principal areas: popular culture, Mexico and U.S.-Latin American relations. He authored the book Refried Elvis: The Rise of the Mexican Counterculture and has co-edited three other books. Submissions of abstracts for 15-minute presentations in English, Spanish or Portuguese are invited. Abstracts can be submitted online at www.bsc.edu/lass and are due by January 31, 2005. For more information, contact Barbara Domcekova, Birmingham-Southern College, at bdomceko@bsc.edu. Faculty Travel Grants Available Russia and Central Europe Faculty Travel Grants are available from the Global Partners Project for travel to Central Europe and Russia. These grants enable faculty to work in Central Europe or Russia to develop curricular materials or conduct planned research, and are available to specialists and non-specialists. The task force is open to any proposals, but particularly encourages collaborative projects. Grants will pay for transportation and partial living expenses, with awards normally not exceeding $2,400 per project. Applications for Summer and Fall 2005 are due February 15, 2005. Past grant recipients have used the funds in the following ways:
East Africa and Kenya Global Partners East Africa Travel Grants are available to faculty with interests in East Africa. Collaborative or group projects with a partner(s) in your college, other Global Partners institutions and especially colleagues abroad are strongly encouraged. Applicants may be of any discipline, at any professional level with any level of experience in East Africa and African Studies. Priority will be given to those faculty who are first-time applicants and to those applicants bringing an East African colleague to the United States. Former participants from the2000, 2001 and 2002 Nairobi seminars, past travel grant recipients, and applicants for those seminars and travel grants are welcome to apply. The current phase of the Global Partners Project initiative in East Africa focuses on research projects in two forms: collaborative projects/mini-seminars and individual research. For more information, go to http://www.global-partners.org/africa/2005/grantinfo.html. Turkey Global Partners Travel Grants are available for faculty with interests in Turkey, for both area specialists and non-specialists. Grants are designed to assist planned research or curriculum development, or to support faculty members who are prospective program directors for the Global Partners student program in Turkey. Past participants in the faculty development seminar are encouraged to apply. Collaborative projects are highly encouraged. Among other related expenses, grants can pay for transportation and partial living expenses, with awards not exceeding $2,400. For travel in Summer 2005 and Fall 2005, applications are due February 1, 2005. For more information, go to www.global-partners.org/turkey/travel05.html. Sustainable Development in Costa Rica Students are invited to participate in Sustainable Development in Costa Rica, a six-week summer, interdisciplinary study-abroad program of ACS. The program is supported and managed by Rollins College. Participants:
The program is divided into three segments located in very different ecosystems – the dry lowlands of Guanacaste in the northwest, the mountain cloud forest of Monteverde and the tropical lowland rainforest of the Caribbean coast. For more information, go to http://colleges.org/~enviro/programs/costarica.html. ACS Students invited to Travel to Turkey ACS students are invited to participate in the Global Partners Project’s semester abroad in Turkey program in Fall 2005. The program gives students a chance to travel to Istanbul and Ankara and participate in a field study trip through important modern and ancient sites in Western Turkey. Participants study Turkish language, history, politics, economy and religion, and stay at partner universities - Istanbul Technical University, Middle East Technical University and Bilkent University. The program director is Tom McCollough, Centre College, and can be reached at mccollog@centre.edu. For more information, contact Teresa Wise, ACS, at twise@colleges.org, or go to www.global-partners.org. ACS Explore collaboration in Chinese and International Relations ACS is exploring collaboration in international relations and Chinese, modeling these efforts on collaborations in classics and music. International Relations ACS is seeking faculty who teach international relations for online collaboration in curriculum and scholarship. Possibilities include sharing resources, simulation collaboration and establishing dialogue among senior international studies/relations students. For information, go to www.colleges.org/techcenter/ir/index.html, or contact Nayef Samhat, Centre College, at samhat@centre.edu, or Patricia Gray, ACS, at gray@colleges.org. Chinese Ten ACS institutions include Chinese in their foreign language division. ACS has created a website at www.colleges.org/techcenter/chinese/ to enhance collaboration among these institutions. The next exercise will involve creating learning objects centered around a Chinese children’s song. It will contain a recording made at Southwestern of performance of the song, translations and illustrations of the meaning of the text. For information, contact Carl Robertson, Southwestern University, atrobertsc@southwestern.edu, or Patricia Gray, ACS, at gray@colleges.org. Third Annual British Studies Student Symposium The British Studies Student Symposium solicits proposals for its 2005meeting to be held February 18-19, 2005, at Birmingham-Southern College. The symposium construes British Studies widely and invites participation by undergraduate scholars in all areas of British history, literature, and culture, including the Empire or Commonwealth and the British Isles. Interdisciplinary approaches and proposals which focus broadly on British studies are especially welcome. Paper proposals should be submitted by January 15, 2005, to V. Markham Lester at mlester@bsc.edu. Environmental Update ACS Environmental Summit February 11-13, 2005, Morehouse College The ACS Environmental Initiative seeks faculty, staff and students who have not yet attended one of its conferences to experience the ACS Environmental Summit, February 11-13, 2005 at Morehouse College. Conference goals include:
Beyond the organized activities the conference will provide, it will also be an opportunity to discuss issues of sustainability on individual campuses, to network, to compare notes and to brainstorm. How is the Environmental Summit different from other ACS environmental conferences? Most ACS environmental initiative conferences have focused on single aspects of the consortium’s environmental work, such as green campuses or curriculum development. The Summit will showcase a variety of initiatives since its inception in 1998. And while most of the earlier conferences had approximately 30 or 40 attendees, ACS anticipates a minimum of 100 ACS students, faculty and staff participants. What special speakers are planned? George Bandy, Morehouse alumnus, will be the Summit ’s keynote speaker. Bandy is Vice President of Government and Institutional Strategy for Interface Flooring Systems, Inc., a leader in sustainable development. In addition, Greta Gaard from Metropolitan State and the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, and author of Ecological Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens, will discuss water privatization. She also will host a two-hour workshop on environmental action, in which she will take students through the steps of organizing others. These include surveying the interested student activists for their passions and skills; surveying the community for needs, activist organizations and coalition-building opportunities, and testing for inclusiveness and the presence and needs of diverse populations; setting goals, both short-term (project-based) and long-term (movement-building) considerations; and preparing action strategies. In addition, a representative from Southface Institute will talk to the group about green building technologies now available. Finally, Billy Parish, Clean Energy Champion and winner of the Brower Youth Award from the Earth Island Institute, will talk about his work organizing the Climate Campaign. For more information about Billy, go to www.cleanaircoolplanet.org/champions/2004_sep.php. What special activities will take place? A service learning project for students at the Atlanta Food Bank and tours of Southface Institute and Morehouse College are planned. In addition, a special performance by Centre College ’s Trash Theatre Troupe will be staged. Facilities staff will discuss the sustainable innovations their campuses have accomplished, including topics such as LEED and LEED-like buildings, integrated pest management, xeriscaping, waterless urinals and alternative fuels. Faculty will discuss work on campus eco-dorms and local food use, and career services staff will describe green career and internship programs. Faculty will discuss environmental courses that are interdisciplinary as well as those in the humanities/sciences/social sciences and international courses. Additionally, faculty from the South African consortium of colleges and universities, FOTIM (the Foundation of Tertiary Institutions of the Northern Metropolis), will discuss their environmental activities. Besides faculty presentations, more than 50 ACS undergraduates will present research on a variety of environmental topics. Finally, an environmental activism session and sessions on community building and service learning are planned, along with self-organizing sessions for networking, and recruiting for ACS’s summer courses in Costa Rica and the Yucatan. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/~enviro/workshops/workshops.html, or contact Elizabeth MacNabb, ACS, at emacnabb@colleges.org. ACS environmental Alliances Award Grants Student Development and Engagement Alliance Grants The Student Development and Engagement Alliance (SDE) supports student projects that increase student participation in and awareness of environmental issues. In its first round of grants for 2004-2005, SDE funded proposals from seven ACS member institutions.
Curriculum and Faculty Development Alliance Grants The Curriculum and Faculty Development Alliance (CFD) supports ACS faculty who wish to develop a new environmental course or redesign a course to include substantial environmental content. In its first round of grants for 2004-2005, CFD funded proposals from four ACS member institutions.
For more information, contact Lee Lines, Rollins College, atllines@rollins.edu. Two ACS Environmental Alliances, the Curriculum and Faculty Development Alliance (CFD) and the Campus as Lab for Sustainability Alliance (CLS), have rolling grant deadlines and are seeking proposals. Curriculum and Faculty Development Alliance The Curriculum and Faculty Development Alliance supports professors who would like to develop a new environmental course or redesign a course to include substantial environmental content. Grants emphasize interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration. Projects could include the following elements, in isolation or combination:
Projects that stimulate the creation of an environmental program, or that fill a void in an existing environmental studies minor, major or concentration receive priority. CFD also prioritizes projects that create or improve an interdisciplinary course, involve collaboration among ACS institutions and are financially supported by the principal investigator’s institution. CFD seeks applications that include one or more of the following: campus/community interaction, global sustainable development, campus environmentalism and sustainability, and humanities courses that deal with the environment. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/~enviro/proposals/cfd_rfp05.pdf, or contact Lee Lines or Barry Allen, Rollins College, at llines@rollins.edu and ballen@rollins.edu. Campus as a Laboratory for Sustainability Alliance The Campus as a Laboratory for Sustainability Alliance supports projects that use the physical campus and its assets to exemplify or move toward best practices in sustainability. Many ACS campuses are beginning to consider building new facilities that are LEED certified (Leaders in Energy & Environmental Design). CLS particularly seeks proposals that will help a campus get started with this program. Proposals that encourage physical changes on the campus, such as increasing recycling, using cafeteria waste for composting, lowering paper use, increasing energy efficiency and the like, are also welcome. Transportation management, watershed studies, campus audits, waste treatment, green purchasing and campus design are among projects funded by CLS mini-grants. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/~enviro/proposals/cls_rfp_guidelines05.pdf, or contact Jeanne Jackson or Roald Hazelhoff, Birmingham-Southern College, at jjackson@bsc.edu or rhazelho@bsc.edu. Program Development ACS to Host Second Diversity Conference April 1-3, 2005, teams of students, staff and faculty from ACS institutions will gather at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, to discuss such questions as “Diversity: What Is it?” “Why Is It Important?” “Who Are We?” “What Does It Mean for Me?” “What Is It Like On My Campus?” and “How Do We Make It Work?” The conversation will begin with a keynote address, Strength in Diversity, by former Mississippi Governor William F. Winter. Before serving as governor from 1980-84, Winter served the State of Mississippi as a State Representative, State Treasurer and Lieutenant Governor. His public and civic activities include President of the Board of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Chairman of the National Commission on the State and Local Public Sector, Chairman of the National Issues Forum Institute, and member of the Boards of the Stennis Center for Public Service, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi and the Foundation for the Mid South. He also is a former member of the Presidential Advisory Board on Race. Marichal Gentry, associate dean of students, Middlebury College, will guide the conversations on Saturday. Gentry graduated from the University of the South in 1986 and returned to campus in 1989 as assistant director of admissions and coordinator of minority recruitment. He created a successful and innovative minority recruitment program at the University of the South. After he left the University of the South in 1992, he served on the board of trustees and returned to campus as director of personal development and wellness for the Sewanee Summer Scholars Program. Gentry accepted a position in Duke’s Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program, where he created a family support program. In 1999 Gentry returned to higher education as associate dean of student affairs at Middlebury College. The registration deadline is March 11, 2005. Campus teams are encouraged to include at least three students who represent diversity on their campuses, the diversity officer, the senior student affairs officer and at least one faculty member. For more information, contact Beth Bowser, ACS, at bowser@colleges.org. Now showing on the ACS Virtual Art Gallery … Seven selected works by Dana Hargrove, assistant professor of art, Rollins College. Mediums represented are graphite, gouache and ink. All Virtual Art Gallery exhibits may be viewed at www.colleges.org/art_gallery/index.html. BackSpotlight on Diversity: Rollins College Collaborations and partnerships across programs and departments that share similar learning outcomes are the hallmarks of the multicultural programs, services and advocacy efforts undertaken by the Multicultural Affairs Office at Rollins College . “As we continue to redefine our work in terms of learning outcomes, and as it becomes increasingly clear that learning has been re-conceptualized as a ‘comprehensive, holistic, transformative and integrated’ process, it is imperative that we seek strategies that allow students to make meaning of their learning, and develop pedagogies that provide learning opportunities that engage students in ways that enable them to integrate what they are learning – in and out of the classroom,” said Donna Lee, director of multicultural affairs. Rollins is committed to:
Collaborations and partnerships across campus have led to the development of several notable programs, including Conversations Across Difference: Embracing the Power of Diversity, The Habitat Project, Field Study in the Dominican Republic and Women of Vision – Building Partnerships, Creating Change. For more information, contact Donna Lee, at dlee@rollins.edu. Consortial Banner Ad in The Chronicle of Higher Education The first consortial banner advertisement for anticipated tenure track and tenured faculty positions appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The banner ad appeared in the November 5, 2004, print issue of the Chronicle. In addition, the ad appeared on the Chronicle’s online job opportunity site for 30 days. Eleven ACS institutions listed some 67 anticipated faculty openings for the 2004-06 academic years. While the ad space permitted sharing only the discipline area, a URL was given for each institution, where additional information would be found about the openings and the application process. “This type of joint advertisement for faculty members at ACS institutions is a new venture for ACS and will provide excellent exposure for both the consortium and our member institutions. We wanted the ad to make a statement that reflected our campus commitments to diversity and, at the same time, to assist the participating ACS schools in attracting more diverse pools of applicants for their faculty positions,” said Jim Hunt, chair of the ACS Council of Deans, chair of the ACS Diversity Planning Committee, and provost of Southwestern University. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/diversity/ or contact Beth Bowser, ACS, at bowser@colleges.org. Science Reform workshop Update What is science literacy?” “Why does it matter?” “What are barriers to science literacy?” “How can I best design my introductory course for non-science majors?” These were a few questions discussed at the second workshop in the ACS Reform of Introductory Science Courses for Non-Science Majors program at Millsaps College, November 12, 2004. Funding from the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles enabled 15 ACS institutions to send 40 science faculty who teach introductory science courses for non-majors to participate. Jeanette Norden, cell biologist and neuroscientist, Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Medical School, and Linda Nilson, director of the Office Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, Clemson University, led the sessions. In addition, a poster session provided the opportunity for 22 ACS science faculty to share how they address science reform in their introductory courses. Posters included information from the six 2004 course mini-grant recipients. In addition, Don Deeds, biology, and Bruce Callen, physics, from Drury University, provided an update on the Science and Math Values Inventory (SaM-VI), which ACS faculty may use, beginning Spring 2005. SaM-VI allows instructors to measure the value students place on math and science, and, in particular, whether these values are affected by instruction. Scoring services and a report of the results are provided to faculty who use the SaM-VI. Participants expressed appreciation for the energizing conversations with colleagues and indicated that they had new ideas and/or strategies to incorporate into their introductory courses. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/sciencereform/index.html, or contact Beth Bowser, ACS, at bowser@colleges.org. For the agenda and poster presentations, go to www.colleges.org/sciencereform/workshop/index.html. To read the working paper on science literacy, go to www.colleges.org/sciencereform/science_literacy.html. Science Reform Mini-grants Available As part of the ACS Science Reform Program, supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles, two grant opportunities are available. Course Design, Redesign and Implementation Mini-Grants The purpose of these grants is to encourage the design, evaluation, re-design and implementation of introductory science courses for non-majors that will address the problem of science literacy and fluency among non-science majors, primarily the natural sciences. Interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged. The deadline for proposals is March 15, 2005 . For more information, go to www.colleges.org/sciencereform/minigrants.html, or contact Beth Bowser, ACS, at bowser@colleges.org. Mentoring Grants The primary goal of these grants is to foster collaboration and discussion among faculty teaching introductory science courses both within and among ACS member institutions. These mini-grants may be submitted at any time throughout the year. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/sciencereform/mentoring_activities.html, or contact Beth Bowser, ACS, at bowser@colleges.org. Marine Biology – Semester in Environmental Science Program Students who participate in the Marine Biology – Semester in Environmental Science Program have an opportunity to work with top researchers in ecosystems science. They also gain exposure to state-of-the-art techniques and hands-on introduction to local, regional and global biogeochemistry. Students also take field trips to the Falmouth Sewage Treatment Plant, Irrigated Forest, West Falmouth Harbor, Waquoit Bay, Siders Pond and Johns Pond. Larry Hurd, biology, Washington and Lee University, led a seminar at the Marine Biology Laboratory and explored the program closely. “Washington and Lee University has an Environmental Studies Program, and I wanted to see if the SES would be an appropriate off-campus study experience for our students. The short answer is ‘yes indeed.’ The program is very intensive and demanding.” Hurd added that the first 10 weeks of coursework, including data collection at field sites, prepare students for their own research in collaboration with scientists at MBL. The deadline for applications for Fall 2005 is March 22, 2005. For more information, go to www.mbl.edu/education/. 2005 Oak Ridge Science Semester Upperclass majors in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and the social sciences are eligible to apply for the Fall 2005 Oak Ridge Science Semester at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It’s a great opportunity to engage in research during the Fall semester with an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Scientist, earn up to 16 hours of academic credit, receive a stipend and a small housing allowance, and live in the beautiful foothills of the Smoky Mountains. The application deadline is March 1, 2005. For more information, go to www.orss.denison.edu or www.ornl.gov. Green purchasing activities on ACS campuses, P-Cards, a Benchmark Study on purchasing practices and policies, web-travel services, interior design functions and campus updates were part of the October 12-13, 2004, agenda for eight purchasing officers who met at Furman University. Additionally, the representatives from Davidson College, Furman University, Rhodes College, University of Richmond, Rollins College, Southwestern University, University of the South and Washington and Lee University reviewed the existing ACS consortial contracts and determined to renew or continue nine of the 15 existing agreements. In cases where ACS has a contract with the same vendors as the national purchasing group known as E&I Cooperative, ACS will encourage its member institutions to utilize the E&I contracts to achieve better pricing. In continuing its joint purchasing activities, the group feels it is important to focus on vendors that are not duplicated by E&I contracts. A current list of ACS contracts is at www.colleges.org/~buy/index.html. This list will be updated as contracts are added or deleted. The next meeting of the ACS purchasing officers will be held in October 2005, at Washington and Lee University. For more information, contact Beth Bowser, ACS, at bowser@colleges.org. Technology Update Sunoikisis Opportunities for Undergraduates The Third Annual ACS Undergraduate Research Symposium in Classics will take place April 8-9, 2005, at Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. Abstracts and applications may be submitted online and are due February 4, 2005. For more information, go to www.sunoikisis.org/undergradsymposium/. Sunoikisis offered its fifth year of advanced language inter-institutional collaborative courses in Fall 2004 with Greek Comedy and Latin Literature of the Late Republic. A record total of 32 students from three ACS institutions, Furman University, Rhodes College and Southwestern University, as well as Skidmore in the Northeast, took part. These courses, which are team taught across multiple campuses, allow advanced students of classical languages to study with a larger group of peers and learn from a wide range of faculty. In addition, Sunoikisis offers students the opportunity to learn from scholars who are acknowledged leaders for the course topics. Douglas Olson, University of Minnesota, led a webcast session on the Greek comedic playwright Aristophanes, while Joseph Farrell, University of Pennsylvania, led a webcast session on the influence of Latin late republican literature on the early Roman empire. BackAdministrators Attend IT Strategic Planning Workshop ACS Technology Programs hosted a workshop on strategic planning September 23 in Atlanta . Twenty-two participants attended. The goals were to gain a better understanding of strategic planning for IT on campuses and to shape the agenda of the Technology Center by identifying strategic needs that might be met through collaboration. The group identified five consortial strategic priorities for information technology: 1) User Training and Education, 2) Security, 3) Disaster Recovery, 4) Infrastructure and 5) Bandwidth Management. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/techcenter/reports/StratPlanReportF04.pdf. In response, the ACS Tech Center has formed two task forces to deal with the major needs. The User Training and Education task force will explore alternate modes of delivering training, while the Security and Disaster Recovery task force will explore joint development of communication materials, consortial contracts for products and services (such as security audits) and the sharing of best practices and tools. For more information, contact Suzanne Bonefas, ACS, at bonefas@colleges.org. Summer 2005 Excavation Plans for Turkey ACS will offer Archaeology 111 for the seventh year in Spring 2005, to prepare students for the excavation field school in Turkey. This course introduces different aspects of the discipline of archaeology using evidence from the excavation at Hacimusalar. ACS also is seeking partners on other excavations to accommodate additional students. Last year students of Archaeology 111 went on excavations in Belize and Mexico. BackSummer 2005 Technology Workshops The ACS Technology Center will offer summer technology workshops in June and July of 2005 on the following topics: Digital Video, Instructional DVD, XML (Extensible Markup Language) and the Text Encoding Initiative, Planning and Implementing Learning Objects with Flash and HTML, Sunoikisis Curriculum Planning Seminars on Latin Literature of the Early Empire and Greek Literature of the 4th c. BCE, and Music Technology/New Music Festival. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/techcenter/workshop/workshops.html. Thirty-two Attend IT Staff Retreat The sixth meeting for information technology staff took place September 30-October 2 at the ACS Technology Center. Thirty-two participants from 14 ACS institutions, as well as other NITLE institutions, attended. Primarily, attendees came to meet and share with their colleagues from peer institutions. Other goals included building relationships with colleagues, learning about tools, solutions and innovations, and learning how to leverage the ACS consortium. Topics included digital assets solutions, Internet 2, open source software, learning objects, digital video support, open source course management systems, tools for spam and viruses, ACS security collaboration, residential networking, and voice over IP. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/~support1/retreat2004/. ACS Technology Center Software Development Builds Choma and ELATED Software Engineering Internship Update Ten students from five ACS institutions and one NITLE Southern Region institution participated in the second annual summer Software Engineering Internship at the ACS Technology Center . The internship both creates software for the ACS consortium and provides real-world programming experience to students. “The applied experience has been one of the best parts of the project. I feel much more confident in my abilities as a programmer, and I feel that I have gained invaluable experience in software development,” said one intern. Applications are due February 11, 2005, for the third annual software engineering internship, which will be held May 30- July 29, 2005 at the ACS Technology Center. For more information, go to www.colleges.org/techcenter/se/. ELATED ACS Summer Software Engineering Interns built a project called ELATED (Electronic Library for Archiving and Transmitting Data). This web-based program for managing collections of digital media files is built on top of the Fedora Repository system (http://fedora.info), an open-source Mellon-sponsored project to build technology for the next-generation of digital libraries. ELATED simplifies use of Fedora and allows it to be more easily integrated into the IT infrastructure at small institutions, while storing data in a manner consistent with the long-term vision of the Fedora project. The product was released in August and has gone through two minor updates since then. The ELATED software is distributed through SourceForge at http://sourceforge.net/projects/elated/. It has been downloaded a number of times, praised by Fedora developers, and is currently being piloted at Rhodes College and Hamilton College. Choma During Summer and Fall 2004, ACS Tech Center staff redesigned the database and user interface for the Choma archaeological data publication system for excavations at Hacimusalar, Turkey, which they unveiled at the NITLE Conference in November 2004. Choma allows researchers and visitors to search online the excavation archives, including all excavated objects, digital photos, and maps (GIS datasets) of the excavation. The system shows the interrelationships of these research materials from the perspective of archaeological research practices. It is important in fostering scholarship and teaching related to the dig, as well as in meeting the archival responsibilities of the excavation. For more information visit: www.choma.org. NITLE UPDATE: National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education “Voyage to Ithaka” Docks in Chicago: Second National NITLE conference November 7-9 More than 270 presidents, deans, provosts, CIOs, librarians, faculty and other administrators, including 49 participants from all 16 ACS institutions, attended NITLE’s second national conference, Voyage to Ithaka: Technology, Collaboration, and the Future of Liberal Arts Colleges. The conference included concurrent sessions in which over 35 NITLE and regional center projects were demonstrated by faculty and staff. ACS presenters included Hal Haskell, classics, Southwestern University; Eric Jansson, systems and development, ACS; Carol Ekstrom, geology, Rhodes College; Mark Garrison, art history, Trinity University; Patricia Gray, instructional technology, ACS; Laura Daigle, student, Centenary College of Louisiana; Kathy Monday, information services, University of Richmond; Laurie J. Heyer, mathematics, Davidson College; Rebecca Davis, instructional technology, ACS; and Jeff Overholtzer, technology education, Washington and Lee University. Suzanne Bonefas, ACS, and Bob Johnson, information services, Rhodes College, helped lead a panel on strategic approaches to cost containment. This panel and subsequent regional breakout discussions provided NITLE and the centers with valuable input to help shape their agenda. The panel followed up on a workshop sponsored by the ACS Technology Center for administrators and IT directors on strategic planning for IT in September. For more on the conference, go to www.nitle.org/conference.php. Music Faculty Collaborate on Internet 2 Project Colleen Wheeler and Ahmed Madkour, Wheaton College, have joined with Craig Hultgren of Birmingham-Southern to create a technology-enabled composition contest. The organizers seek works for unaccompanied cello in celebration of Dr. Ronald Crutcher, Wheaton ’s new president and cellist. Winners will receive feedback from professional composers and cellists via Internet 2 videoconferences. Upcoming Performances Sponsored by ACS Music Program The ACS Music alliance will sponsor several live performances in Spring 2005. Luna Nova, the ACS new music ensemble, is scheduled to be a guest ensemble at Washington and Lee, Rhodes, and Davidson during the spring semester. The performers will offer master classes in which ACS online learning objects are demonstrated. Their concerts will include new works by ACS composers, as well as works from the Classics of the 20th Century series. Three ACS Music Program Faculty and One Student Present at College Music Society Among the ACS Music Program presenters at this year's conferences in San Francisco November 4-7 were Courtenay Harter, Rhodes College; Timothy Kramer, Trinity University; and Laura Daigle Centenary College of Louisiana. A slideshow of music program photographs accompanied by Laura's Dances in a Song performed by Luna Nova is at www.colleges.org/~music/LDProject/NITLE/daigleflash.html. For more information on ACS music programs, go to www.colleges.org/~music. The University of the South and Washington and Lee University are among seven NITLE institutions selected by ARTstor to participate in a pilot to test its hosted collection services. ARTstor is uploading pilot institutions’ digital collections and making them available to the institution that owns them via its interface and image tool set. ARTstor hopes to learn how to make the hosting service available widely for institutions interested in a solution for managing digital collections and using them with ARTstor images. NITLE has also received funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to begin using ARTstor for teaching and learning, and for enhancing the teaching of visual literacy. ARTstor is a digital library that contains over 300,000 images for use in teaching. For more information, contact Suzanne Bonefas, ACS, at bonefas@colleges.org. Coalition for Networked Information ACS sent five delegates from five ACS institutions and one ACS Technology Center staff member as part of the NITLE delegation to the December 5-9 meeting of CNI in Portland, Oregon. Delegates discussed how what they learned at conference impacted directions for NITLE. Key issues included collaboration among liberal arts colleges and academic space planning. Delegates were Bob Johnson, Rhodes College; John Stuckey, Washington and Lee University; Jane Love, Furman University; Jim Rettig, University of Richmond; Todd Kelly, University of the South; and Suzanne Bonefas, ACS. NITLE GIS Initiative workshops The NITLE GIS initiative offers professional development opportunities to faculty and staff. NITLE offered a workshop on GIS Across the Curriculum at Furman University on January 5-9, 2005. The University of the South will host a NITLE GIS workshop on environmental science May 23-26, 2005. Other workshops will target urban studies, teaching and learning with GIS and student faculty collaboration. For more information on all of these opportunities, go to http://gis.nitle.org/. New NITLE Director for Arab World Michael Toler, previously a consultant and editor for the NITLE Arab World Site, has been appointed program director, NITLE Arab, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Initiative. Toler visited the ACS Technology Center and Trinity University in December to learn more about the ACS institutions and ways the program can meet ACS needs. He welcomes input from all ACS campuses at mtoler@middlebury.edu. As part of the Greater Birmingham Mathematics Partnership, Birmingham-Southern College will participate in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics in local middle schools, with a grant from the National Science Foundation. As part of its Mathematics Science Partnership grant program, the Foundation has awarded GBMP $9.9 million. GBMP is a consortium made up of Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, eight local school districts and the Mathematics Education Collaborative, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization established to promote partnerships and to provide education communities with the necessary support to accomplish the goal of quality mathematics education. Birmingham-Southern College’s Guy Hubbs, library science, has received the Jefferson Davis Award for his book about Greensboro, Alabama, and its Civil War Confederate military company. Hubbs’ Guarding Greensboro: A Confederate Company in the Making of a Southern Community is about community building, in particular about how people in Greensboro began as modern individualists, and through their experiences in the Civil War, emerged as traditional Southerners. Scott Vetter, geology, Centenary College of Louisiana, is the recipient of an award honoring university faculty members who have reached out to K-12 educators and made a difference in their careers. The W.W. Craig University Educator Award was given to Vetter for his continuous work over the past 15 years with K-12 science teachers. Steve Asmus, biology and biochemistry, Centre College, has received a $100,000 research grant from the National Institutes of Health. The three-year grant will go toward Asmus’ research into brain development. Using rat brains as a model, Asmus and his student research team will study neurotransmitter production and cell death during brain development. Furman University psychology professor Gil Einstein has published a book that provides both practical advice and information concerning the effects of aging on memory. Memory Fitness: A Guide for Successful Aging is published by Yale University Press. Einstein wrote the book with co-author Mark A. McDaniel of the University of New Mexico. Hendrix College will form a society of scholars and religious leaders called “Dialogue: Conversations between Science and World Religions.” The aim of the society is to involve students, faculty and citizens in discussions on how religious insights can be modified and enriched by the natural sciences and how scientific approaches to life can be deepened by religious insights. The Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science has awarded Hendrix College a three-year Local Societies Initiative grant to explore the interface between science and religion. Robert Kahn, Romance languages, Millsaps College, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Mississippi Foreign Language Association at the annual MFLA conference. The award recognizes excellence in foreign language teaching, active participation in MFLA, evidence of leadership and promotion of foreign language teaching and learning and professional involvement in one or more foreign language organizations other than MFLA. Rhodes College, through its Urban Studies Program, was awarded a $399,978 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish and operate a Community Outreach Partnership Center. Rhodes seeks to improve local neighborhood conditions in partnership with the community. The total amount of the project, called the Rhodes Hollywood Springdale Partnership, is $1,023,216, which includes matching costs from Rhodes and its community partners. The Partnership will focus its work in the distressed, low-income neighborhood of Hollywood Springdale as it suffers from social, educational, housing and environmental problems. Southwestern University was awarded over $170,000 by the National Science Foundation. The grant provides Fay Guarraci, psychology, funds for equipment for her neuroscience program, and includes support for undergraduate students to engage in research. Guarraci’s research focuses on the neurbiology of mammalian mating behavior. Spelman College President Beverly Daniel Tatum has been named as the 2005 recipient of the Brock International Prize in Education. The award is presented through the combined effort of the University of Oklahoma, the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State University. According to Michael Wolfe, executive director of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society in education, the Brock Prize is the most significant educational award in the world dedicated to honoring one individual each year who has made a significant impact on the practice or understanding of the science and art of education. Contributions considered include new teaching techniques, the discovery of learning processes, the organization of a school or school system, the radical modification of government involvement in education or other educational innovations in education, medicine or business. University of Richmond’s Edward Larkin, English, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture on American studies and literature at Tallinn Pedagogical University in Tallinn, Estonia, during the 2004-05 academic year. Larkin will teach two classes on American studies and American immigrant literature while in Estonia.
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