Category: Professional Notes

Emile Lester, assistant professor of political science and international affairs, will present at a forum on Tuesday, November 1 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The forum, “God in the Classroom: Exploring the Place of Religion in Public Schools,” is presented by the Religious Freedom Project at the Newseum and Wesley Theological Seminary and begins at 6 p.m.

During the presentation, Lester will discuss his book, “Teaching about Religions: A Democratic Approach for Public Schools.” The evening also will include the Washington D.C. premiere of the documentary film “In God We Teach.”

For more information about the forum, visit http://www.freedomforum.org/e-vite/godinclassroom/e-vite.html or email elester@umw.edu.

Grant Woodwell, professor of earth and environmental sciences, is a featured guest on the “On Location” program of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Comcast television station. In the interview, which will run for the next two weeks, Woodwell discusses August’s earthquake in Mineral, Va.

It is with great enthusiasm that the James Farmer Multicultural Center announces the arrival of the newest member of its leadership team:  Greta Franklin, as associate director.  Franklin comes to UMW with a great deal of experience in the field of multicultural and diversity programming initiatives.  She joins the university after serving in key administrative multicultural leadership positions at the Community College of Baltimore County, Vassar College and the University of Maryland, College Park.

Franklin began her professional career at Mary Washington’s James Farmer Multicultural Center as the Multicultural Student Counselor from 2000 to 2005.  She received a bachelor’s in art history from the University of Mary Washington and a master’s of education in college student personnel from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Esther Yook’s article “ Teaching Intercultural Communication through Service Learning” on an experiential approach to learning has been accepted for publication in Journal of Intercultural Communication, vol. 28.

Charles Shields, associate director of Great Lives, will give the lecture “How to Make a Big Research and Writing Project Totally Manageable” on Tuesday, October 11. The lecture, sponsored by UMW Writing Centers, will focus on how to organize large academic projects and will take place at 10 a.m. in Lee Hall, Room 412. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Gwen Hale at (540) 654-1036.

Following the release of his biography of Kurt Vonnegut on November 8— “And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life” (Henry Holt & Co.) —Shields will participate in a number of literary events.

The Library of Virginia will host a book launch at the Library of Virginia at noon on Tuesday, November 8. The launch will include a reception and book signing. UMW faculty and staff are invited to attend and light lunch refreshments will be served.

Shields also will appear at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md., on Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.; the Griffin Book Shop in Fredericksburg at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 17; the Miami Book Fair International on November 19-20; Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:00 p.m.; McNally Jackson Booksellers in Soho, N.Y., on Wednesday, November 30 hosting a panel on biography; the CUNY Graduate Center and the Center of Biography in New York for a panel discussion about biography, hosted by jazz critic and biographer, Gary Giddins on Wednesday, December 7; and Fountain Books in Richmond on Friday, December 9 at 12:30 p.m.