Category: Professional Notes

Emile Lester, assistant professor of political science and international affairs, will participate in a national symposium at Roberts Wesleyan College to promote conversation on how public schools, religion and the First Amendment intersect. The symposium will be held October 10-11 at the New York college. The audience — school practitioners, academics, attorneys, school board members, community, religious and student leaders — will be invited to join the conversation with 10 authorities in the field. Other scheduled participants are Richard T. Foltin, director of the National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee;  Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief; Colby May, senior counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice; David Scott, director of Project PATCH, Northport School District, Long Island; Muhammad Shafiq, executive director of the Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue, professor of Islamic and religious studies at Nazareth College and Imam of the Islamic Center of Rochester; Stephen Solomon, professor, New York University; Kathy Wildman, World Religions teacher, Fairfax, Va.; and Jay Worona, general counsel, New York State School Boards Association.

For more information or to register, visit www.roberts.edu/symposium or call 585/ 594-6562.

Inez Wehrli is retiring after more than nine years of service to UMW. A farewell tea will be held in her honor Monday, September 20, 10:30 a.m., at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center ball room. All faculty and staff are invited. Inez began her career in the Office of University Relations and moved to University Advancement six years ago. As Coordinator for Stewardship and Donor Relations with University Advancement, she has played a key role in the management of privately endowed scholarships and the annual Scholarship Luncheon honoring donors and their recipients.

Anna Billingsley, director of publications and design, will be honored by the Girl Scout Commonwealth Council of Virginia at the 10th annual Women of Distinction awards program at Jepson Alumni Executive Center September 16.  Billingsley is among 11 women recognized for their professional achievements and volunteer service in the greater Fredericksburg region.  She is honored in the communications category for her ability to effectively convey information.

She serves as chair of Hope House, a nonprofit agency that provides safe transitional housing for homeless mothers and their children. In addition, she is a board member of the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation and an active member of  Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. A former Girl Scout and local troop leader, she has been involved in planning and promoting the Women of Distinction awards program for 10 years.  Read the news release.

The Virginia Festival of the Book is looking for faculty authors of “recently published books on topics of interest to the general public–history, science, current affairs, sports–really anything that would appeal to Virginia Festival of the Book attendees,” according to the program director. More information is available at the web site http://www.vabook.org/index.html/

The fifth edition of “Searching and Researching on the Internet and the World Wide Web,” co-authored by Ernest Ackermann, professor of computer science, and Karen Hartman, a former UMW staff member, has been published recently. The first edition of “Searching and Researching” was published in 1997, when Hartman was a reference librarian in the Simpson Library. She currently holds a position in the U.S. State Department. This edition extends the focus on formulating search strategies, understanding how to form search expressions, evaluating information, and citing resources to the social and other technologies often associated with the term Web 2.0.