Doug Gately performed with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Emil De Cou at Wolf Trap on June 20. The program, “Pixar in Concert,” featured 14 films that Pixar Animation Studios has produced. Collectively, this music has won three Academy Awards, 10 Oscar nominations, and 10 Grammy Awards. The music with film included Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Ratatuoille, A Bugs Life, Wall-E, Cars, Up, The Incredibles, Brave, Monsters Inc. and Monsters University.
Nabil Al-Tikriti Discusses Iraq on KPFA and KPFK Pacifica Radio Stations
Professor Nabil Al-Tikriti
On Friday, June 13, 2014, Associate Professor of History and American Studies Nabil Al-Tikriti appeared on Los Angeles based KPFK’s “Radio Uprising” program to discuss the latest developments in Iraq. Hosted by Sonali Kolhatkar, Al-Tikriti was also joined by Matt Howard of the NGO “Iraq Veterans Against the War.”
The segment lasted just over 18 minutes, and can be screened via this podcast link: http://uprisingradio.org/home/2014/06/13/breaking-sunni-militants-capture-cities-as-baghdad-braces-for-an-invasion/.
In the course of this discussion, Al-Tikriti described the factors dating back to the 2003 Anglo-American invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq which led to the current crisis. He also offered prescriptive advice for today’s policymakers, suggesting both that the regional sectarian war that many have been predicting has in fact arrived, and that one of the few policy options with a modest chance of success would be for U.S. officials to mediate a meeting between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, June 21, 2014, Nabil Al-Tikriti appeared on San Francisco’s KPFA “Saturday Morning Talk” program to discuss developments in Iraq. Hosted by Kris Welch, Al-Tikriti was also joined by Sami Rassouli of the “Muslim Peacemaker Teams” and Robert Naiman of “Just Foreign Policy.”
The segment lasted roughly 55 minutes, and can be screened via this podcast link until July 5: http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/103986. Al-Tikriti’s starts at the 1:06 minute mark.
In the course of this discussion, Al-Tikriti described the meaning of the term ISIL, the evolution of the organization’s growth, the role played by U.S. foreign policy in the past, and some of the options facing foreign policymakers today.
Jim Groom Co-Authors Article in EDUCAUSE Review
Jim Groom and Brian Lamb published the article “Reclaiming Innovation” in the May/June edition of EDUCAUSE Review. The article examines the state of innovation in higher education in regards to information and education technologies. Additionally, the article featured a series of supplemental videos about various sites of innovation, including one focusing on UMW’s intiaitive Domain of One’s Own. You can read the article online here and watch the video below.
UMW Geography Professor Awarded National Grant
University of Mary Washington professor Stephen Hanna is the recipient of a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct fieldwork at plantation museums in the American South. Hanna is professor of geography at UMW, and is an expert on commemorative landscapes, cartography, and critical applications of GIS.
Hanna and his research partners will conduct fieldwork at plantations, like the Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana. Photo by Arnold Modlin (Norfolk State).
The NSF grant, totaling $445,423 over three years, will support the project “Transformation of Racialized American Southern Heritage Landscape.” Hanna is co-principal investigator for the project with David Butler (University of Southern Mississippi), Derek Alderman (University of Tennessee), Perry Carter (Texas Tech University), Amy Potter (Armstrong Atlantic State University), and Arnold Modlin (Norfolk State University).
The grant, supplemented by Hanna’s Waple Professorship, will allow Hanna and three UMW undergraduate students to join faculty and graduate students from the other universities to conduct fieldwork at plantation museums in Louisiana, coastal South Carolina and Georgia, and Virginia’s James River region.
Stephen Hanna
During the fieldwork, students and faculty will survey and interview plantation visitors, tour guides, and owners, and will conduct participant observations of the tours. Based on pilot research already conducted at four plantation museums in Louisiana, the researchers aim to determine how and to what extent narratives of the enslaved are incorporated in the landscapes and narrations of these museums. They will document visitors’ experiences to show how the role of slavery in the region’s and country’s history are presented at these sites.
Throughout the project, Hanna will teach UMW students to transcribe, code and analyze qualitative data. Students will map the plantation sites and create a website, hosted by UMW, to disseminate the project’s results.
Farnsworth Lectures at Boys State
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, delivered a lecture entitled “Virginia’s Candidate Selection Process: Examining Recent Primaries and Conventions” at the American Legion Boys’ State of Virginia at Radford University on Monday, June 16.
In addition, reporters at a number of media outlets — including the New York Times, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, WUSA-TV, WAMU-FM, WJLA-TV, Fox News, the Huffington Post, CTV News Canada, Reuters, and the Associated Press — have quoted Farnsworth on the Medicaid expansion impasse in Virginia and the primary election defeat of U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Nabil Al-Tikriti Monitors Ukrainian National Elections
Nabil Al-Tikriti with OSCE partner at polling station.
On May 19 to 29, 2014, Associate Professor of History and American Studies Nabil Al-Tikriti served as an election monitor for the Ukrainian national elections. One of around 90 Americans joining the 900 strong OSCE (Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe) delegation, Al-Tikriti spent the first two days in Kiev before joining the rest of his 20 person team to monitor the region around Lviv, in Western Ukraine. Together with his Canadian monitoring partner, he visited over a dozen polling stations in and around Yavoriv district, which borders Poland. He also observed ballot counting at the district station in Yavoriv, before visiting numerous historical sites and museums in both Lviv and Kiev, before returning home.
New Assistant Dean for Student Involvement
Melissa Jones
On June 10, Melissa L. Jones began her tenure with UMW as assistant dean for student involvement. Jones will have oversight for the Orientation program and will supervise the offices of Campus Recreation, James Farmer Multicultural Center, and Student Activities and Engagement.
Jones was formerly with Virginia Commonwealth University in various positions including associate director of residence education and associate director with the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity. She received her master of education in counseling psychology with an emphasis in college student personnel administration from James Madison University and her master of education in social foundations of education and bachelor of arts in history, English, with a minor in African-American studies from the University of Virginia.
The Assistant Dean’s office is currently located in the Student Activities and Engagement suite in Seacobeck Hall. Those offices will move to the new University Center once it opens in 2015.
Please join the Division of Student Affairs in welcoming Melissa to the UMW community.
Larochelle Publishes Book Chapter on U.S. Latino Poet
Jeremy Larochelle, Associate Professor of Spanish, published a book chapter entitled “From the Inner City to the Cotton Fields: Living and Working Conditions in Martín Espada’s Poetry” in Acknowledged Legislator: Critical Essays on the Poetry of Martín Espada (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press).
Goehring Presents Paper
James Goehring, Professor of Religion, presented a paper on “The Monastery of Apollo at Bala’izah and Its Literary Texts” at the Annual Meeting of the North American Patristics Society in Chicago,Illinois, held May 22-24, 2014. The paper explored the contents of the library of an important 7th-8th century Coptic Christian Monastery in Upper Egypt.
Catullo Named Coach of the Year
UMW’s Patrick Catullo (left) named VaSID State College Division Coach of the Year.
UMW Eagles Women’s Tennis Head Coach Patrick Catullo was recently named the Virginia Sports Information Directors State College Division Coach of the Year.
Catullo repeats as State Coach of the Year after leading Mary Washington to the 2014 NCAA Tournament third round with an 18-8 record. The Eagles were CAC Champions for the 11th straight year, and advanced to NCAA Tournament for the 16th straight year.
Information and photo courtesy of a VaSID Press Release.