Professor of English Chris Foss recently presented a paper at the “Hideous Progeny”: The Gothic in the Nineteenth Century conference hosted by the Loyola University-Chicago Victorian Society on October 27, 2018. The talk, entitled “Gothic Mutations of Pity in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Star-Child,’” aimed at a critical reconsideration of pity through a reading of Wilde’s fairy tale, explores the ways it replicates stereotypically pejorative assumptions about disability but also contains empowering possibilities as well. Through the gothic mutation of its disability-aligned titular protagonist (initially the embodiment of physical perfection, but eventually transformed into a scaly toadfaced freak), this text requires one to grapple with the extent to which its employment of pity reinforces a hierarchical division between the fortunate and the unfortunate and/or encourages a more progressive conception founded upon love, reciprocity, and action. The paper is part of the larger book manuscript project (The Importance of Being Different: Intersectional Disability and Emotional Response in Oscar Wilde’s Fairy Tales) that is the focus of Foss’s 2018-20 Waple Professorship award.
Bonds Publishes Article on Violence in Iraq and Syria
Eric Bonds, associate professor of sociology, published an article entitled “Humanitized Violence: Targeted Killings and Civilian Deaths in the U.S. War Against the Islamic State.” The article draws upon a qualitative content analysis of human rights reports, newspaper accounts, and U.S. military statements to describe the ascendancy of “humanitized violence” as a form of brutality that utilizes precision weaponry, and that which is frequently critiqued on technical grounds of whether or not its use conforms to international humanitarian law, but not on questions of morality or ultimate efficacy. The article is in Current Sociology, a publication of the International Sociological Association.
Rao Attends Meeting of Nationwide Faculty Governance Leaders
On Oct. 27, Anand Rao, professor of communication, vice chair of the Mary Washington’s University Faculty Council and president of the Faculty Senate of Virginia, attended a meeting of faculty governance leaders from across the country.
Rao participated in creating a National Council of Faculty Senates at the Austin, Texas event.
The National Council of Faculty Senates will help ensure various faculty senates nationwide play a coordinated, decisive role in university faculty members’ shared governance with their university administrations.
The Texas Council of Faculty Senates organized the daylong organizational meeting that attracted the faculty members to Austin, where they discussed plans to develop mission and vision statements, a constitution, and bylaws. Faculty senates advise university administrations and boards of trustees or regents on all matters of policy and decision-making that affect the faculty.
“Most associations in the United States have not only a statewide or a regional presence but also a national one,” said Trevor Hale, a professor of operations management at Texas A&M University and a convener of the meeting. “Therefore, we asked ourselves why not move beyond the state level to a national one.”
In welcoming the faculty members to Austin, Jim Woosley, president of the Texas Council of Faculty Senates and a professor of health and kinesiology at Texas A&M University, said that it was imperative that the voice of faculty members nationwide be well coordinated and presented in a meaningful and an effective way to university administrators and to broader audiences.
Attendees identified areas for immediate action. They included developing a database to support one another and to weigh in on evolving issues, creating a communication system with boards of regents or trustees, and identifying a medium for disseminating widely best practices in shared governance and in academic freedom.
Lynne Richardson Speaks at International Deans Conference
Lynne Richardson and Amy Hillman, dean of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, provided insights from their “Associate Dean’s Journeys” on November 5 at the AACSB International Associate Deans Conference in Phoenix. There were 250 attendees from 19 countries.
Farnsworth Lectures at Norwegian Seminar in Washington, DC
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently delivered a lecture entitled, “A Preview of the 2018 Midterm Elections,” at the The Norwegian International Seminar in Washington, DC earlier this month.
Romero Presents Panel at the Annual Meeting of The Anchor Institutions Task Force
Joseph Romero, Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion
Professor Joseph Romero (Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion), is organizing a panel of fellows from the American Council on Education (2017-18) to chart recent successes of anchor universities and barriers to anchor work at the Annual Meeting of the Anchor Institutions Task Force in New York, New York, Nov. 15-16. Higher education leaders from Merrimack College (MA), Georgia Gwinnett College, Lane College (TN), and Coppin State College (MD) will join him to also answer the question, Where will the next generation of anchor university leaders come from?
“Anchor institutions” are networks of well-resourced organizations committed to collective impact solutions to persistent problems in the communities where they reside. Universities are attractive anchor partners but come with significant structural and cultural challenges that can limit or prevent optimal success. Perhaps the greatest challenge, it turns out, is developing anchor leaders capable of realizing an anchor vision and creating a culture and legacy that extends beyond a single presidency.
Buster-Williams Nominated for AACRAO LEAD
Kimberley Buster-Williams, vice president for enrollment management, has been invited to participate in a new initiative called AACRAO LEAD. AACRAO’s new initiative called LEAD (Leaders in Enrollment Advancing Diversity) will take a multi-pronged approach at identifying and preparing a diverse group of enrollment leaders to take on leadership roles in Enrollment Management in North America and across the globe.
The LEAD initiative will kick off at the 2018 SEM Conference with a Monday evening reception hosted by Buster- Williams and colleagues who have taken the lead on inculcating diversity and inclusivity values in SEM.
At the reception, the hosts will introduce the AACRAO LEAD theme, which will be built upon at future events. Plans include:
- A diversity leadership development program for mid-level professionals.
- A webinar series.
- A scholarship program for AACRAO’s SEM Endorsement Program.
AACRAO is a professional association of more than 11,000 higher education professionals who represent approximately 2,600 institutions in more than 40 countries. Its mission is to provide professional development, guidelines and voluntary standards to be used by higher education officials regarding the best practices in records management, admissions, enrollment management, administrative information technology and student services. AACRAO represents institutions in every part of the higher education community, from large public institutions to small, private liberal arts colleges. http://www.aacrao.org/home/about
Blevins Presents on Augmented, Mixed, and Virtual Reality at Watson Conference
Brenta Blevins, assistant professor of writing studies and digital studies in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication, presented a paper, “Preparing for Current and Future Composing with Augmented, Mixed, and Virtual Reality,” at the Twelfth Biennial International Thomas R. Watson Conference on Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Louisville (October 25-27, 2018).
Her project explores Augmented, Mixed, and Virtual Reality and contends these media are not futuristic media, but are already in use now for a variety of purposes, ranging beyond games to include public rhetoric, marketing, and technical documentation. As such, instructors should incorporate these media into their classroom assignments to prepare students for composing now and in the future.
Farnsworth Article Published in International Political Journal
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, is author of a research article, “Gridlock until 2020: Trump remains true to himself, a policy that will never change,” which appears in the November/December issue of “Internationale Politik,” a journal published by the German Council on Foreign Relations). The article was published in German under the title: “Stillstand bis 2020: Treu bleibt Trump nur sich selbst. Seine Politik aber wird sich niemals ändern.”
Elizabeth Larus Presents Paper at American Association for Chinese Studies Conference
Elizabeth Freund Larus, professor of political science and international affairs, presented her research paper “Xiconomics: Mixing Politics with Economics after the 19th Party Congress,” at the 60th meeting of the American Association for Chinese Studies, October 5-7 in Baltimore. She also organized and hosted the Roundtable on Cross-Strait Relations, bringing together scholars from the US, the UK and Taiwan to discuss recent developments in China-Taiwan relations.