CLA Professor Chosen to Direct MLS program . Gesa Zinn, Associate Professor of German Studies, has been selected as the new Director of Graduate Studies for the Master of Liberal Studies Program. With a focus on life-long learners, the MLS program allows students to design their own program. For additional information, see: http://www.d.umn.edu/ce/html/mls.html.

CLA Professor Chosen to Direct Study in England Programme : Dr. Linda Miller-Cleary, Professor of English, has been selected to direct the 2007-08 Study in England Programme. About 50 students and 5 faculty participate in this year-long program affiliated with the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England. For additional information, see: www.d.umn.edu/ieo/englandnextyear.htm

CLA Faculty Chosen to Participate in the 2007-08 Study in England Programme . Professors Pat Farrell, Associate Professor of Geography, and Mitra Emad, Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, have been selected as 2 of the 4 2007-08 faculty participants in the Study in England Programme. Each faculty will spend one semester teaching in the program.

CLA Freshman Laptop Requirement for All : Again this year, all incoming CLA students will be required to bring a laptop computer to campus. By integrating the laptop into the curriculum, this program provides our students with valuable technology skills and experiences and thus makes them more competitive in their future academic and professional careers. After this year, all CLA students will be required to bring a laptop computer to campus. See the CLA technology web site at: http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/tech/requirement.php

The CLA Student Affairs and Advising Center is now home to a career and academic major exploration center called LINK: Learn, Investigate, Network, Know-how. Coupled with our already successful Learning Community Program for undecided students, initiatives like this are helping to increase retention rates and improve student progress toward meeting graduation requirements.

For more information, see www.d.umn.edu/cla/link/

With an initial gift from the Regis Foundation, a new Center is taking shape in the College, the Center for Genocide, Holocaust, and Human Rights. It will be located in Cina 110, and Alexis Pogorelskin, Associate Professor of History, will serve as its first director.

The “Every 3rd Friday” Colloquia Series Continues. CLA continues to sponsor a faculty research-in-progress colloquium every third Friday, beginning September 29. The informal faculty presentation and gathering will take place from 3-4:15 in the 4th floor Library Rotunda. Refreshments will be served; all are welcome to attend. For a complete schedule of presenters and topics see: http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/main/3friday.php

Congratulations:

Congrats to the CLA faculty and staff who were promoted:

• Mitra Emad was promoted from Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies to Associate Professor, with tenure;
• Linda Kinnear was promoted from Associate Administrator for the College of Liberal Arts to Administrative Director;
• Jeff Maahs was promoted from Assistant Professor of Sociology to Associate Professor, with tenure;
• Jerry Pepper was promoted from Associate Professor of Communication to Professor (and still Associate Dean!);
• Carolyn Sigler was promoted from Assistant Professor of English to Associate Professor, with tenure;
• Pam Spencer was promoted from Assistant Academic Advisor in the College of Liberal Arts to Associate Academic Advisor;
• Krista Twu was promoted from Assistant Professor of English to Associate, with tenure;
• Rob Weidner was promoted from Assistant Professor of Sociology to Associate Professor, with tenure.

Congrats to these CLA Award Recipients:

• Ryan Goei , Assistant Professor of Communication, received the Outstanding Teaching Award for “All CLA faculty in their first three years at UMD”;
• Craig Grau , Associate Professor of Political Science (now emeritus), received the 2006 Outstanding Faculty Advising Award for the College of Liberal Arts;
• Mitra Emad , now Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in the department of Sociology-Anthropology, received the Outstanding Teaching Award for “CLA Tenure-Track faculty in their fourth and subsequent years”;
• Larry Knopp , Professor of Geography, received the Albert Tezla Teacher/Scholar Award for 2005-06;
• Michael Pfau , Assistant Professor of Communication, received the CLA Outstanding Research Award for the quality and quantity of his publications released in the 2005-06 year; most notable is the 2005 publication of The Political Style of Conspiracy: Chase, Sumner, and Lincoln by the Michigan State University Press;
• Albert (Bill) Tezla , Professor Emeritus of English, received the Middle Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, which is one of the highest decoration Hungary awards for professional achievement for foreigners and Hungarians alike;
• Barbara Titus , Instructor of Communication, received the Outstanding Teaching Award for “CLA Non-Regular faculty in their fourth and subsequent years”.

Congrats to these CLA Major Grant & Fellowship Recipients:

• Mary Caprioli , Assistant Professor Political Science, received both a $5,000 McKnight Summer Fellowship Grant and a $5,000 Faculty Summer Research Fellowship for her project, “A Rogue By Any Other Name: Identifying and Assessing the International Behavior of Human Rights Rogues”;
• Drew Digby , Instructor of Journalism and the Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership, received a $9,500 Summer Fellowship with the Institute for Journalism Excellence;
• Scott Laderman , Assistant Professor of History, received a $19,993 Grant-in-Aid of Research for his project “A World Made Safe for Discovery: Surfing, Surf Culture, and American Foreign Relations.” In addition, Dr. Laderman received a $5,000 McKnight Summer Fellowship and a $5,000 UM Faculty Summer Research Fellowship, and was selected to be a Residential Fellow at the University of Minnesota Institute for Advanced Study for the fall of 2006;
• Mike Mageau , Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Center for Sustainable Community Development, and Stacey Stark, Director of the Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory received a $27,625 grant from the DNR Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program for their project, “Wind Resource Development in the MN Coastal Zone”; Mageau also received a $6,000 grant from the Northeast Region Sustain Development;
• John Red Horse , Professor of American Indian Studies, and the folks at Upward Bound Early Intervention Program, received a $542,822 3-year grant from the US Department of Education;
• Wy Spano , on behalf of the Master in Advocacy and Political Leadership Program, received a $75,000 grant from the Otto Bremmer Foundation; $10,000 from the Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation; $22,000 from the AFL-CIO Education Fund; and $20,000 from the Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi Charitable Foundation;
• Rosemary Stanfield-Johnson , Assistant Professor of History, received a $30,744 Grant-in-Aid of Research for her project, “Ritual Cursing and Shi’ite Political Culture in Early Modern Iran (1501-1610)”;
• Stacy Stark , Director of the Geographic Information Sciences Lab and Pat Farrell, Associate Professor of Geography, received a $54,046 grant from the University of Minnesota - Center for Transportation Studies for their project, “Methodology to Incorporate Historic/Prehistoric Surface Hydrology layer in Mn/Model Using Existing GIS Data”;
• J Laundergan, Professor of Sociology, received a $10,000 grant from the Miller-Dwan Foundation.

Congrats to these 2006-07 Single Semester Leave recipients:

• Jennifer Jones , Assistant Professor of Anthropology;
• Tim Roufs , Professor of Anthropology;
• Joe Maiolo , Professor of English;
• Alexis Pogorelskin , Associate Professor of History.

Comings & Goings:

New faculty:

• Aaron Boyson , Instructor of Communication (PhD candidate, Michigan State University); Boyson’s research interests include aggression and mass media;
• Dr. Sutapa Chattopadhyay , Assistant Professor of Geography (PhD, Kent State University); Chattopadhyay’s research interests include the impact of socio-economic development, particularly in India;
• Dr. Mary Currin-Percival , Associate Professor of Political Science (PhD candidate, San Diego State University); Currin-Percival’s research interests include Public opinion and American government;
• Dr. Janet Donavan , Assistant Professor of Political Science (PhD, University of Wisconsin Madison); Donovan comes to us from the University of Puget Sound; her research interests include American politics and methodology;
• Ying Fan, Visiting Instructor of Chinese in the department of Foreign Languages & Literature (MS, Northeast Normal University); Fan’s area of specialty includes Chinese teaching research, comparative research of literature and art theory;
• Dr. Hairong Feng , Assistant Professor of Communication (PhD, Purdue University); Feng’s research interests include Message production and interaction goals; communication and culture; health communication;
• John Hatcher , Instructor of Journalism in the department of Composition (PhD, candidate, Syracuse University); Hatcher’s research interests include Community journalism and media studies (coming in January of 2007);
• Dr. Jaime Hoffman , Assistant Professor of Philosophy (PhD, Univ. of Minnesota); Hoffman’s research interests include Ethics and bioethics;
• Dr. Ken Marunowski , Assistant Professor of Composition (PhD, Kent State University); Marunowski’s research interests include Literacy, rhetoric and social practice;
• Dr. Mark Newman , Assistant Professor of Philosophy (PhD, Univ. of California San Diego); Newman’s research interests include the Philosophy of science, metaphysics of science;
• Avesa Rockwell , Instructor of Composition (MA UMD); Rockwell’s specialty includes Composition and writing;
• Dr. David Syring , Assistant Professor of Anthropology (PhD, Rice University); Syring’s research interests include Globalization and local cultures, land use and place-making, memory and landscape;
• Dr. Joan Varney , Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies in the department of Sociology-Anthropology and Women’s Studies (PhD, University of Wisconsin Madison); Varney’s research interests include Race, class and gender studies; curriculum theory;
• Dr. Dometa Wiegand , Assistant Professor of English (PhD, Washington State University); Wiegand’s research interests include Romantic and Victorian poetry, novels, and prose.

New Staff:

• Jayme Johnson , Administrative Executive Specialist, CLA Student Affairs and Advising Center;
• Chad Johnson , Technology Specialist, CLA Technology Staff;
• Sara Fitzgerald , Executive Administrative Specialist, Department of Composition;
• Maria Morisseau (not new to CLA, but new to. . . ), Executive Administrative Specialist, Department of History;
• Geraldine Hughes (not new to CLA, but new to . . . ), Executive Administrative Specialist, Department of Political Science.

Retirements:

• Linda Belote , Professor of Anthropology;
• Jim Belote , Assistant Professor of Anthropology;
• Bonnie Drummond , Executive Administrative Specialist, Department of Political Science;
• Jim Fetzer , Distinguished McKnight Professor of Philosophy;
• Craig Grau , Associate Professor of Political Science;
• Doc Mayo , Professor of Philosophy.
• Resignations:
• Isa Botero , Assistant Professor of Communication;
• Tom Fedyiuk , Assistant Professor of Communication;
• Anna Marie Roos , Associate Professor of History.