The Kingfisher 2013

the

K i ng fish er

2013

a p u bl i c at i on of t h e

college of humanities the universit y of utah

T he KING FISHER 2013 – 10th anniversa ry edi tion –

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F U TA H

— TABLE OF CONTENTS —

5. MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN 7. THE COLLEGE AT A GLANCE 8. DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND LITERAUTRE 9. DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION 10. Jake Jensen: Mole Crowdsourcing 12. DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH 13. Anne Jamison: Fic 14. Paisley Rekdal: Mapping Salt Lake City 16. In Memoriam: Prof. R. Brooke Hopkins 17. DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS 18. DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY 19. James Tabery: Philosophy In The Courtroom... And The Nursery 22. DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 23. In Memoriam: Michel Mazzaoui 25. ALUMNI PROFILES 26. Lori Teranishi: Helping Companies Tell Their Stories Well 28. Susan Vanbeuge: Changing The Face Of Healthcare In Nevada 30. Gregory Miller-Jones: Study What Interests You 32. David L. Guevara: Hell, Belief, And Brownfields 34. Mark Paul: Stryker Neurovascular 36. Mitch Crowley: Re-Powering The World 39. CONVOCATION 2013 GRADUATION SPEECH: AZIN MAFI 38. 2013 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS 41. Andrea Thomas 43. Pax Natura: Randall Tolpinrud 44. Pax Natura: Will Connelly 47. FINAL THANKS

college of humanities partnership board 2013-2014 Ross C. “Rocky� Anderson Former Mayor Salt Lake City

Gladys Gonzalez Publisher and Editor HMC International

Rhoda Ramsey Former Realtor The Ramsey Group

Grant Bennett President CPS Technologies, Inc.

Richard H. Keller, M.D. Former Chief of Radiology Cottonwood and Alta View Hospitals

Karen Shepherd Community Volunteer Writer, Editor, Businesswoman Former Utah Senator and Member of Congress

Cynthia Buckingham Executive Director Utah Humanities Council

Reza Khazeni Community Partner

Catherine Burns Human Resources Director Gastronomy, Inc.

Kathryn Lindquist Trustee, Weber State University Trustee, The Nature Conservancy

Anthon S. Cannon, Jr. Attorney Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Leslie Miller President PrintWorks

Cole Capener Attorney and Partner Baker & McKenzie Will Connelly AIA, Architect and Principal Connelly & Co. Architects Pastor France A. Davis Pastor Calvary Baptist Church Geralyn Dreyfous Executive and Creative Director Salt Lake City Film Center Martin Frey Managing Partner Mainsail Investments

Joel Momberger Program Director Gyeonggi-UT Innovation Program GSBC Center, Gwangyo Technovalley, Korea Gary J. Neeleman President, Neeleman International Media Consulting Honorary Consul of Brazil Gerald Nichols Former President NJRA Architects David Petersen President O. C. Tanner Company

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David Simmons President and CEO Simmons Media Group Joan Smith Former Executive Director The National Conference for Community and Justice Kathy Thomson President and COO LA Times/Tribune Publishing Randall Tolpinrud Founder Pax Natura Foundation Mary Tull Director Taft Nicholson Center for Environmental Humanities Education Amy Van Prooyen Managing Partner Van Prooyen Greenfield LLP

The Kingfisher Message From the Dean

“What does not change is the will to change,” begins Charles Olson’s poem, “The Kingfisher.” In Greek mythology the kingfisher paradoxically is associated both with transformation – the story of Alcyon and Ceyx whom, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Zeus turned into a pair of birds – and the idea of “halcyon days” – a period of calm seas and of general peace and serenity.

In Gerald Manley Hopkins’ sonnet, “As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame,” the iridescent plumage of this spectacular bird is celebrated as an image of both the multiplicity and unity of God’s creation. And in Amy Clampitt’s poem, which bears the same title as Charles Olson’s “a kingfisher’s burnished plunge, the color/of felicity afire, came glancing like an arrow/through landscapes of untended memory.”

Transformation, calm, multiplicity unity, felicity, disturbance, revelation. To poets, the kingfisher magically embodies all of these – a joining of opposites, a preservation of variety, an embrace of challenge and change.

The College of Humanities extends this poetic tradition by adopting the kingfisher as a symbol of these fundamental concepts, which we in the Humanities practice and teach.

We believe in their profound and lasting importance.

-Inaugural Issue, The Kingfisher 2004

We are pleased to bring you this issue of The Kingfisher, which marks the publication’s tenth anniversary. We thank you for your passion and willingness to help advance the important work of the College.

-Robert Newman, Dean, College of Humanities

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DEPARTMENTS Communication English History Languages & Literature Linguistics Philosophy

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CENTERS American West Center Asia Center Center for Latin American Studies Middle East Center Second Language Teaching and Research Center (L2TReC) Taft-Nicholson Center for Environmental Humanities Education Tanner Humanities Center University Writing Program & Center

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INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES Applied Ethics Asian Studies Portuguese & Brazilian Studies British Studies Cognitive Studies Environmental Humanities Humanities in Focus International Studies Latin American Studies Peace & Conflict Studies Religious Studies Rhetoric & Writing

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THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AT A GLANCE

T

he College of Humanities serves as

the heart

of the University of Utah’s

mission of academic excellence and holistic learning. It is made up of award-winning

educators and humanists who work attentively with aspiring learners, making a difference in their lives with well-rounded, thoughtful

approaches to education.

Within the College of Humanities, we empower our students with guiding principles that include

compassion, embracing diversity, open-mindedness,

and a desire to make our communities better through critical thinking and collaboration.

Infusing the humanities into everything we do prepares students of all academic disciplines to connect to and serve society––preparing them for success here at the university and opening doors of opportunity and service throughout life.

All University of Utah undergraduates enroll in Humanities courses at some point in their academic pursuits. Currently over

4600 undergraduate students have chosen

to focus their studies on Humanities. Additionally, more than 300 students are currently pursuing graduate and doctoral degrees in the Humanities. The College currently has more than 200 tenure and career-line faculty and associate instructors, who continue to be among the most

frequent winners of University teaching and research awards, and among the most diverse in terms of ethnicity and gender.

“In the end, the humanities can only be defended by stressing how indispensable they are; and this means insisting on their vital role in the whole business of academic learning.”

– Terry Eagleton 7

D E P T . of L A N G U A G E S & L I T E R A T U R E M ONOLINGUALIS M IS SO 2 0 t h CENTU RY. . .

A MAJOR IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE... . . . is your passport to the world . . .prepares you for careers at home and abroad . . . gives you competency in another culture . . . leads to higher life-time earnings . . . makes you a critical thinker and better writer

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY •

Garrett Norris, an undergraduate student, was recently invited to present his research at the National Collegiate Research Conference at Harvard University. Garrett’s research is tied to his Honors Thesis, incorporating culture into the teaching of Chinese characters for students of Japanese. Presentations at this conference, organized by the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association, are by invitation only and represent a tremendous honor for students involved.

•

Professor Eric Laursen was honored this year as the first University of Utah H2 Professor (Honors + Humanities). Selected from a competitive field of applicants, Eric was given this professorship because of his commitment to creative and effective undergraduate education. The H2 Professorship allows the recipient to teach innovative and non-traditional undergraduate courses within the Honors College, and is part of a campus-wide initiative to explore more effective undergraduate education approaches and opportunities.

•

Professor Christine Jones was honored this year with a University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award. Professor Jones is a respected and admired instructor, as well as a published author (she has recently published two books). In a wonderful example of professorstudent collaboration, Professor Jones is also working very closely with undergraduate student Molly Barnetwitz to further research tied to questions of pedagogy.

•

The Languages & Literature Department now offers an innovative and engaged undergraduate service-learning course, “Cultures in Contact.” The course, taught by Professor Lily Alavi, enrolls approximately 35 students each semester, and facilitates projects that engage them in a variety of ways with non-English speaking groups in the community. Professor Alavi was recently honored by Salt Lake City’s Society for the Aging.

According to Katharina Gerstenberger, Professor Alavi is “a wonderful colleague doing impactful work in our community and for our students.”

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D E P A R T M E N T of C O M M U N I C A T I O N

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he Department of Communication explores the many ways in which we encounter and navigate the world and determines how to do so most efficiently, effectively, and ethically.

From family conflicts to business contexts; understanding climate change to delivering new information about treatments and cures for diseases; covering current events to branding a product; and analyzing political scenarios and appeals to studying or creating media technologies, communication better equips us to engage our communities and, by extension, the world.

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY •

In its 2010 report, the National Research Council ranked the University of Utah’s doctoral program in Communication as high as 12th in terms to student completion rates, financial aid, and other criteria; and as high as 13th overall among all doctoral programs in communication in the United States.

•

According to ComAnalytics, the University of Utah’s Department of Communication ranks first in the nation in communication research on Ecology and Popular Culture; second in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies; and third in Rhetoric, Film, and Metaphor Studies.

•

Awards received during the past year by Department of Communication faculty: •

Prof. Jake Jensen received the 2013 Young Scholar Award, given out by the International Communication Association

•

Prof. Robert Avery received the 2013 Distinguished Education Service Award, given out by the Broadcast Education Association

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Prof. Kent Ono (current Communication Department Chair) received the Paul Boase Award for Scholarship, given out by Ohio University’s School of Communication Studies.

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CO M M U N I C AT I O N FAC U LT Y — R E S E A R C H & P U B L I C AT I O N S suspicious. The average individual was able to identify approximately half of the melanomas, a result that paralleled findings from past research.

“Fifty percent isn’t enough,” notes Dr. Andy King a member of the research team and a faculty member at Texas Tech University, “especially when it comes to melanoma. Every missed case is potentially lethal.”

MOLE CROWDSOURCING

COMMUNICATION PROF.

JAKE JENSEN

While individuals struggled, the research team noticed that looking at the data differently dramatically changed the results. Collective effort considers the pattern across all users and often sets a threshold or cut-off point for identification.

Analysis of the data suggested that 19% was a possible cut-off point in the data. That is, if 19% of screeners or more scored a mole as suspicious, then how likely was it to be a melanoma?

Have you ever had a strange mole on your body, and wondered if it was skin cancer? The best move is to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist, but many people wait months or even years before doing so. Unfortunately, this procrastination can have deadly consequences as some forms of skin cancer – such as melanoma – can progress rapidly. Researchers at two universities – the University of Utah and Texas Tech University – have recently identified a new technique for handling this problem: Ask the crowd.

Consistent with the collective effort approach, a 19% threshold correctly identified 90% of melanomas. “It was a eureka moment,” Jensen noted with a smile. “Even though each individual struggled to consistently find the melanomas, looking at the responses of the group – as a group – revealed the needles in the haystack.”

How is this possible? Collective effort can be effective even when a single person has low reliability at a task, as the pattern of the group overcomes the limitations of each individual.

Some may question this approach on the grounds that groups often underperform, a phenomenon referred to as “groupthink.” But collective effort

“Individuals are bad at finding cancerous moles,” says Dr. Jakob Jensen, a member of the research team and a faculty member at the University of Utah, “but our research shows that groups of people are very good at this task. The group overcomes the limitations of each individual through a process we call collective effort.”

For example, contestants on game shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire? benefit from collective effort when they “ask the audience” for help. When participants “ask the audience” for help, they receive feedback in the form of poll data showing what percent of the group supports a given answer. The participant then has to decide if the pattern of the group reflects reality (e.g., “58% of the audience selected answer B, so is that the correct answer?”).

To test this idea in the context of skin cancer, Jensen and his research team had 500 adults participate in a study. In the study, the participants were shown high resolution images of 40 moles (9 of which were clinically diagnosed melanomas) and asked to circle those they found 10

does not utilize group decision making as respondents independently perform each task.

Thus, collective effort harnesses the power of the group without invoking the corresponding limitations of groupthink.

“The group overcomes the limitations of each individual through a process we call collective effort.”

Jensen and colleagues refer to their collective effort approach as “mole crowdsourcing.”

Crowdsourcing is a popular term that refers to using crowds of people – often recruited online – to accomplish tasks. For example, NASA successfully employed crowdsourcing by recruiting thousands of layusers to comb through millions of planetary images distinguishing craters from shadows.

Mole crowdsourcing is the same idea only individuals evaluate images of moles instead of planetary craters.

Mole crowdsourcing could be implemented via modern communication technology. For instance, the research team is already working on a cell phone application that will allow people to take a photo of a mole with their phone camera and have that image evaluated by hundreds, if not thousands, of other users. Moreover, the success of this strategy could be leveraged into viable strategies in other areas. Crowdsourcing could be utilized by oncologists seeking colleague feedback on patient scan data to cancer patients providing/receiving feedback about the normalcy of side effects.

Crowdsourcing has the potential to improve decision making and replace inefficient single agent models of action.

Even without training, groups can find

90% of melanomas.

U.S., melanoma incidence has been increasing steadily over the last 30 years. Not only is melanoma increasingly common, but it is also very deadly. The five-year survival rate for distant stage melanoma is only 15% with approximately 1 person dying of this illness every 61 minutes in the United States. Five-year survival rates for melanoma improve dramatically if the cancer is caught before it advances to a distant stage. The survival rate is 98% if the cancer has not spread to lymph nodes and 61% if at the regional stage.

Thus, finding suspicious moles early, and motivating individuals to act, is essential.

Mole crowdsourcing provides dermatology research and practice with a viable strategy for identifying high risk individuals and suspicious moles. That is, mole crowdsourcing would not replace dermatologists or the importance of clinical skin examinations. Rather, mole crowdsourcing would provide an evidence-based strategy for funneling high risk patients toward those resources.

There is a pressing need for innovative approaches to finding suspicious moles. In the 11

D E P A R T M E N T of E N G L I S H – ENGAGING THE WORLD –

W

ho tells the stories that define us, and what are they saying? An English major or minor enters into a conversation across centuries: from Chaucer to Harry Potter to the meaning of a meme. Shakespeare and Joyce, Dickens (Charles) and Dickinson (Emily), Austen and Equiano—in the English classroom, they are models, teachers, guides. In our classes--often seminars with a lot of individual attention--reading and writing are not just a means to an end, they are central. We want students not only to speak their minds, but to expand them—and then to write persuasively about what they’ve learned. In physical and virtual classrooms and on paper, our students take on big questions —about imagination, creativity, faith, gender, race—by thinking through details others might miss. They learn to research and defend their own claims while carefully considering other points of view. Whether focused on the oldest manuscripts or the newest digital media, the study of literature cultivates the intellectual flexibility and discipline needed to build fulfilling careers and lives in a changing world. Clear thought and good writing never go out of fashion—and are always in demand in any job or

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY Congratulations to English Department faculty members honored this year for excellence in teaching and research:

•

Professor Kathryn Stockton, who this past year was doubly honored as she received the University of Utah Distinguished Professor Award, as well as the coveted Rosenblatt Prize.

•

Professor Vincent Cheng and Professor Jeff Metcalf both were honored this past year with University Distinguished Teaching Awards.

•

Professor Howard Horwitz shared the Distinguished Service Award (with Professor Bob Avery, Professor of Communication.)

•

Professor Janet Kaufman was named U of U Public Service Professor for 2013-14.

•

Professor Matt Potolsky received a Tanner Faculty Fellowship Professors Angela Smith and Richard Preiss both received University of Utah Faculty Research Fellowships.

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ENGLISH FACULT Y — RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

“FIC” a new book by E nglish P rof . A nne J amison

F

rom Shakespeare to Thackeray, from Sherlock Holmes pastiche to Sherlock and Elementary, writers of all stripes have been moved to rethink and retell characters and storylines they loved (or even hated). But when amateurs do this in online communities, they are often derided. Anne Jamison’s new book Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over The World questions this dismissive impulse and makes the strong case that this writing must be taken seriously. Fanfiction—in which (mostly) amateur writers tell their own stories about existing characters, worlds, or even celebrities and sports figures—has been around for a long time, but it has recently come out of the shadows.

The fanfiction origins of the blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey made headlines and put the long-overlooked subculture onto more people’s radar. But the fact is, this “secret” world had been exploding in popularity ever since the internet made finding and connecting with stories and writers as easy as a few clicks. A generation of writers has already grown up telling stories online, and more are coming. Fic connects this recent history of online collective authorship with the longer tradition of writing from sources as well as with other areas of contemporary literature that appropriate and remix found material.

“Fic connects this recent history of online collective authorship with the longer tradition of writing from sources” Incorporating essays by a number of fan writers, professional writers, and a few individuals—such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Amber Benson or Husbands’ Brad Bell—who have had fanfiction written about them, Fic has been widely reviewed and discussed energetically in venues from Tumblr and Twitter to The Hollywood Reporter, Publisher’s Weekly, Pacific Standard, PopMatters, The Millions, and The New Yorker.

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ENGLISH FACULT Y — RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS Lake that together might portray how what living here actually feels like. Ironically, considering its web name, “Mapping Salt Lake City” has precious few maps on the site. Perhaps it’s because the site itself is an enormous map, one made up of dozens of different narrative and visual “sites” that attempt to give context and heart to our city.

MAPPING SALT LAKE CIT Y ENGLISH PROF.

PAISLEY REKDAL

Here’s how it works: First, from the project homepage (www.mappingslc.org) you click on our “Projects” link to find a map of Salt Lake with every project and map “tagged” to a location.

“Mapping Salt Lake City” is a website that attempts to “map” the feelings surrounding our city. It came out of a graduate writing class Professor Rekdal taught at the University of Utah in spring 2013, after having read Rebecca Solnit’s Infinite City, a book of essays and customized artists’ maps that documents the communities and neighborhoods that comprise San Francisco. “When I read Solnit’s book years ago,” notes Rekdal, “I immediately realized that Salt Lake—with its quixotic and “exotic” origins—was the perfect candidate for another such project, but I was also convinced that a book was not—could not—be the right medium for it.” If a city is an intersection of relationships, and a map is, at heart, a narrative understanding of how these relationships affect each other over time, a static object like a book would limit the possibilities of mediating or expressing these complexities.

You can either click on the tag or scroll down the options below the map to read the types of projects you like, or you can do a search on our sidebar to see what we have.

Rekdal notes that place is dynamic: “Salt Lake City certainly is, if the recent U.S. District judge’s surprise ruling in support of gay marriage is any indication, and the internet offers a reader the best opportunity to add, amend, comment upon or contest any history of place that is both communally conceived and inherited.” Thus, a website. And thus, over the course of a semester and well into the summer, her students’ and her decision to curate a series of essays, poems, stories, photo-essays, art walks, multimedia projects and maps by writers and residents of Salt

Next, you begin to construct for yourself—via these projects—a sense of how people (both past and present) have navigated the city. There’s a great section of our site to help you out: a people’s history compendium called “This Was Here”: a place where anyone can add her own 250-500 word piece about a person, place, event or institution in Salt Lake City that now has disappeared, been forgotten or significantly changed.

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ENGLISH FACULT Y — IN MEMORIAM

In Memoriam

Professor R. Brooke Hopkins 1942 – 2013

Roger Brooke Hopkins, born in Baltimore, was educated at the Gilman School, Hotchkiss, and Harvard University, where he also taught for five years. His academic training included a year on fellowship at Oxford. He began teaching at the University of Utah in 1975. He won the University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award, was University Professor, and served as the Chair of the English Department. He was an energetic outdoorsman and an intrepid world traveler. Shortly after he retired in 2008, he was injured in a double-bike accident that left him paralyzed. He continued to teach in the OSHER program for adult students, offering courses from the Iliad to Moby Dick before the time of his death.

A scholarship fund has been established to honor this beloved professor’s legacy.

The Brooke Hopkins Memorial Scholarship will be awarded each year to a deserving undergraduate student studying in the English Department at the University of Utah.

Selection criteria includes academic excellence, and a demonstrated passion for literature.

Donations to the scholarship endowment are welcome and profoundly appreciated.

Donations can be made online, via telephone, or mailed directly to the College of Humanities.

For more information, contact the College of Humanities Dean’s Office at 801-581-6214.

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D E P A R T M E N T of L I N G U I S T I C S – L ANGUAGE UNDE R TH E MI CRO SCO PE –

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hat makes us different from other animals? Are we just very sophisticated computers? One answer to both of these questions is that human beings all have a capacity for language, and that human language is unique. The Linguistics Department studies language to find out what makes it unique in all of nature. We do this by asking questions like the following:

• What does it mean to say that we know a language?

• What does us our capacity for language contain; what is it?

• How does a child learn language?

• How do adults learn new languages?

Can you imagine getting by without language? We take it for granted. Think about how pervasive it is in our lives, how it shapes our nature as humans, and how it informs all of our experiences. You may come to the conclusion that language is a defining characteristic of the human condition. In Linguistics, we put language under the microscope, and in so doing we uncover ways of improving outcomes in all those human activities where language plays a role.

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY Welcome to our New Linguistics Faculty: Shannon Barrios, Ph.D. Second Language Acquisition Professor Barrios, a native of Ellicottville, New York, received her Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Maryland. In addition to a passion for linguistics, she enjoys traveling, photography, hiking, biking, knitting, watching movies and baking.

Benjamin Slade, Ph.D., Semantics Professor Slade received his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Illinois. His teaching focus includes semantics, historical linguistics, morphology, phonology/phonetics, and NonWestern Languages (Indo-Aryan). Additionally, he enjoys baking, antique & modern khukuris and other south Asian blades, reading fiction, early blues and folks music, Linux & open software.

Congratulations to Dan Dixon, Linguistics graduate student who has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for the 2014 - 2015 academic year. Dan will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Brazil at the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso in Cuiab.

Dan began graduate school in 2001, has completed the TESOL certificate requirements and defended his thesis this past December. In his work he is examining second language acquisition and technology, focusing on the benefits of non-native English speaking students who play online video games in English.

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D E P A R T M E N T of P H I L O S O P H Y

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he University of Utah Department of Philosophy offers a well-balanced program in Philosophy, and has particular strength in Applied Ethics (including Bioethics), Philosophy of Biology, Practical Reason, Political Philosophy and Chinese Philosophy. The Department also offers sophisticated training at the Master’s and PhD level for graduate students who want to pursue research in our areas of strength. Philosophy majors find themselves in a wide range of careers and value the contribution their education makes to their continued professional development and success.

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

P

hilosophy, once known as the queen of the sciences, retains its unique status as the field that fosters careful, thorough, critical analysis of any body of thought or practice. It is often regarded has having two interlaced strands: a critical strand, involving detection and assessment of tacit assumptions made in any field, and a constructive strand, traditionally involving metaphysical system-building of the sort evident in Plato’s elaborate theory of Ideas.

Constructive metaphysical system-building is not much in fashion in contemporary philosophy, though it is a fruitful area of research in the history of philosophy. Analytic philosophy, the tradition with which the University of Utah’s department more closely identifies, employs powerful techniques of analysis in examining reasoning, argument form, identification of background assumptions, logical structure, and other components of thought. It can address any area of human endeavor. Science. Law. Medicine. Art. Psychology. Biology. Religion. You name it: philosophy as a field scrutinizes, assesses, and can provide a basis for strengthened theoretical and thus practical work in any field. It prepares you for almost anything.

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY

T

he Philosophy Department is very happy to announce the appointment of Professor Melinda Fagan as our first Sterling McMurrin Chair in Philosophy. Melinda comes to us from Rice University and has a Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University. Melinda will be a wonderful addition to the Philosophy Department faculty, and shares interests with many of her new colleagues here. She will also help continue our strong relationship with the Medical School via her expected participation in the Division of Medical Ethics and Humanities. Melinda is excited at the prospect of joining the Philosophy department, and is very much looking forward to reacquainting with the ski slopes of Alta, which she visited regularly as a child.

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P H I LO S O P H Y FAC U LT Y — R E S E A R C H & P U B L I C AT I O N S

a Burger King restaurant with the hope of robbing it, then beat the manger so severely that he sustained brain damage. After he was arrested, Donahue seemed to revel in his crime, even going so far as to have a king’s crown tattooed on his back. At the sentencing hearing, a psychiatrist provides expert testimony saying that Donahue is a diagnosed psychopath. She explains that psychopathy is a clinical diagnosis defined by impulsivity, lack of empathy, and lack of remorse. The judge tells you that the standard sentence for cases of aggravated battery is about 9 years. Now, with that in mind...

PHILOSOPHY IN THE COURTROOM...

AND

THE NURSERY

PHILOSOPHY PROF.

JAMES TABERY

I

magine you’re a juror tasked with sentencing a criminal found guilty of aggravated battery.

The criminal, Jonathan Donahue, went into

How many years in prison will you recommend for Donahue? (Go ahead and write the number down, as you’ll come back to it in just a moment.)

There’s one more expert witness. This one is a neurobiologist, and he tells you that Donahue has a particular gene that contributes to atypical brain development. Specifically, the part of Donahue’s brain that controls his violence-inhibition mechanism is damaged. In normal humans, the violence-inhibition mechanism automatically creates anxiety when other humans are in pain or distress. But psychopaths, like Donahue, lack a normal violence-inhibition mechanism, and that could explain why Donahue behaved so violently in the Burger King.

In light of this additional neurobiological evidence, how many years in prison will you recommend for Donahue?

How did you answer the second question relative to the first question? If you increased Donahue’s sentence, you probably did so because you interpreted the neurobiological evidence as suggesting his biological constitution makes him a continued threat to society.

On the other hand, if you decreased Donahue’s sentence, you probably did so because you interpreted the neurobiological evidence as suggesting his biological constitution makes him less responsible for his actions. This is the double-edged sword of the science of criminal behavior. The exact same evidence could either increase or decrease punishment, depending on how that evidence is interpreted.

(continued on next page) 19

PHILOSOPHY FACULT Y — RESEARCH & PUBLIC ATIONS in prison on average.The judges who received only expert testimony concerning Donahue’s diagnosis of psychopathy sentenced him on average to almost 14 years in prison.

But the judges who received the expert testimony concerning Donanue’s diagnosis of psychopathy along with evidence concerning the neurobiological causes of his psychopathy sentenced him on average to about 13 years in prison. Compared to just the diagnosis of psychopathy, that is, the neurobiological evidence reduced Donahue’s sentence by roughly one year, but that 13 years was still quite a bit higher than their average 9 year sentence for cases of aggravated battery. In their study, the doubleedged sword did indeed cut both ways.

J

ames Tabery, associate professor in the College of Humanities’ Philosophy Department, posed this scenario to a nationwide sample of judges in order to assess how they would evaluate scientific information about the biological causes of bad behavior. Such scientific evidence is becoming increasingly common in actual court rooms (the scenario above is fictional, but it is based on the real case of Stephen Mobley); this evidence, however, is quite new, and so there’s an open question in legal, psychological, and philosophical communities about whether such information increases or decreases punishment.

“Our judges study,” Tabery explains, “demonstrates how research in the College of Humanities can engage scientific developments to reach out beyond academia and weigh in on real-world problems that humans face in their everyday lives.” The effort paid off. The judges study was published last year in Science magazine, and the results were reported in The New York Times, National Public Radio, and Time Magazine.

Tabery is continuing this focus on the intersection of the humanities and science in his forthcoming book Beyond Versus: The Struggle to Understand the Interaction of Nature and Nurture (MIT Press, June 2014). Part

“Research in the College of Humanities can engage scientific developments to reach out beyond academia” Tabery’s study of judges, co-authored with Professor Lisa Aspinwall (Department of Psychology) and Professor Teneille Brown (College of Law) was designed to determine which way the double-edged sword cuts. The judges reported that they sentenced convicts guilty of aggravated battery to about 9 years

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Such results, Tabery points out, raise the real prospect of a genetic guide to parenting—the idea being that parents would obtain genetic information about their child very early on (perhaps at birth) in order to use that genetic information to inform decisions ranging from whether to adopt a dog or a cat, or how to respond to the next temper tantrum. What’s more, Tabery argues such a scenario is not in some distant, sci-fi future; it’s likely quite near. Biotech companies are racing to provide the “$1,000 genome” (a whole human genome sequenced for $1,000 in just a few hours), and a recent nationwide survey of approximately 1,500 parents revealed that over 70% of them expressed interest in receiving the whole genome sequence of a newborn.

history of science and society, part philosophy of biology, and part ethics of genetic testing, in Beyond Versus Tabery explores the past, present, and future of efforts to move beyond the dichotomous “nature versus nurture” and make sense of how genes and the environment interact to make us who we are.

Such results, Tabery points out, raise the real prospect of a genetic guide to parenting Tabery and his wife, Dawn-Marie, are expecting their first child in March, and the experience has clearly informed his reflections on the prospect of a genetic guide to parenting: “Parents can easily spend $1,000 on a new nursery for their newborn. Might not those same parents be willing to spend $1,000 to obtain genetic information about the newborn sleeping in that nursery?” Tabery introduces the prospect of a genetic guide to parenting in Beyond Versus not to champion it or denigrate it, but rather to draw attention to it, so that philosophers, legal scholars, and scientists alike can begin evaluating the costs and benefits of such a technology before it falls in our (and our newborns’) laps.

For example, in the chapter “Of Dogs, Daycare, and Discipline: A ‘Genetic Guide to Parenting’?”, Tabery looks at contemporary genetic research investigating how individuals with different genes respond to various environmental exposures.

Infants with one version of the CD14 gene (a gene that regulates our immune response) who are raised in a home with a dog or sent to daycare see their risk of various allergies go down dramatically; infants with the other version of the CD14 gene, however, see no such benefit and may even have an increased risk of allergies when exposed to dogs and daycare. Likewise, toddlers with one version of the DRD4 gene (a gene that regulates neurochemistry in our brains) seem to respond better when their parents employ an empathy-oriented approach to discipline, while toddlers with the other version of the DRD4 gene seem to respond better to a punishmentoriented approach to discipline.

Research like Tabery’s shows how scholarship in the College of Humanities reaches out beyond the classroom and informs decisions in the courtroom…and the nursery.

21

D E P A R T M E N T of H I S T O R Y – T H E PA S T I S A LWAY S P R E S E N T – WHY HISTORY MATTERS

H

istory provides context for our understanding of the present. The historian seeks out multiple perspectives by which to understand the significance of past events and the interaction of people, and peoples, over time. With an eye to the influence of culture, knowledge, and religion on people and events in society, the historian refines our sense of the past and its connection to the present. This historian has the responsibility of providing professional advice and expertise for the interpretation of the past.

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY • The 2013-14 O. Meredith Wilson Lecture in History was presented by Ann Blair, Henry Charles Lea Professor of History at Harvard University, and prize-winning author of Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age. Professor Blair’s lecture was entitled “In the Workshop of the Mind: Methods of Collaboration in Early Modern Europe.” The O. Meredith Wilson lecturer for 2014-15 will be Professor James Scott from Yale University.

• The History Department invited Professor Anne Hyde, William R. Hochman Professor of History at Colorado College, to present the David E. Miller Lecture. Professor Hyde’s book, Empires, Nations, and Families: A History of the North American West, 1800-1860 won the 2012 Caughey Prize, and the prestigious Bancroft Prize. Her book was also a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. Her talk, entitled “Love and Blood: An Intimate History of the North American West” presented a new history of the nineteenth-century American West from the perspective of mixed race families.

•

Prof. Ginger Smoak received the Delno C. West Award for best paper by a senior scholar from the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association for her paper, “Imagining Pregnancy: The Fünf¬bilderserie and Images of ‘Pregnant Disease Woman’ in Medieval Medical Manuscripts,” published in Quidditas.

NEW FACULT Y The History department welcomes new faculty member Danielle Olden (PhD Ohio State University), who adds to our faculty strengths in the history of the American West, and race and gender history, with a project entitled “Whiteness in the Middle: Mexican Americans, School Desegregation and the Making of Race in Modern America.”

22

HISTORY FACULT Y PUBLICATIONS •

Matthew Basso, Men at Work: Rediscovering Depression-Era Stories from the Federal Writers’ Project, University of Utah Press, 2012.

•

Eric Hinderaker, James Henretta, Rebecca Edwards, and Robert Self, America’s History, 8th ed., Bedford-St. Martin’s, 2014.

•

Jim Lehning, European Colonialism Since 1700, Cambridge University Press, 2013.

•

Bradley J. Parker and Catherine P. Foster, (eds.), New Perspectives on Household Archaeology, Eisenbrauns, 2012.

•

Peter Sluglett, Jordi Tejel, Riccardo Bocco and Hamit Bozarslan (eds.), Writing the Modern History of Iraq: Historiographical and Political Challenges, Imperial College London Press, 2012.

In Memorium

Michel Mazzaoui 1926 – 2013

T

he History Department faculty and staff were saddened to learn of the death of their friend and former colleague, Michel Mazzaoui. Michel’s work on the Origins of the Safawids, based on his doctoral work at Princeton University, was groundbreaking, and he followed this work with many articles and edited volumes on various aspects of Persian history.

Michel joined the faculty at the University of Utah in 1976 having already taught at Indiana University, McGill in Montreal, at Princeton, and at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He taught for the remainder of his career in the History Department and in the Middle East Center. Michel’s gifts as a beloved teacher, mentor, and colleague at the U for almost 30 years were warmly remembered at a memorial held for him in January.

23

SUSAN VANBEUGE

LORI TERANISHI

GREGORY MILLER JONES

MITCH CROWLEY

DAVID GUEVARA

24

MARK PAUL

ALUMNI PROFILES You Belong.

AT TORNEYS

PHYSICIANS POLITICIANS

PARENTS

LINGUISTS

LOVERS

WRITERS THINKERS

ARTISTS

Without doing a single thing, friends & alumni of the College of Humanities belong to a group of amazing people who in broad and diverse ways are changing the face of our world.

For more than 150 years, the College of Humanities has provided relevant, meaningful education. Humanities graduates continue to shape our communities as writers, educators, business leaders, policy makers, artists and parents. More than 30,000 Humanities alumni now live in all 50 states and in most of the countries of the world.

25

HELPING COMPANIES

TELL THEIR STORIES WELL

LORI TERANISHI

– BS ‘91, MASS COMMUNICATION POLITICAL SCIENCE

and how we communicate in relationships with people––both in personal and professional arenas.

Lori grew up in Hawaii, where she attended a private girls school with just 59 in her graduating class. When it came time to select a university for her education, she wanted something away from Hawaii, someplace where she could stretch her wings. She knew about the University of Utah because of family members who had attended there, and she was attracted to the skiing. When one of her best friends from school announced she would be attending the U, Lori determined to join her. “It was culture shock in every way,” Lori says. “The weather was difficult, the University was big, and at the time Utah had a fairly homogenous population. It was a lot to take in for a girl from a small school in Hawaii.

But people were so nice, like they are in Hawaii, so I slowly got my bearings.” Despite the culture shock, Lori believes she obtained a very high quality education. “It was perfect for me,” she says.

“It taught me self-reliance, independence, how to navigate a larger environment, and be successful and advocate for myself.”

L

ori Teranishi has always been interested in how people communicate with each other. This interest has guided her career through a variety of fascinating avenues, to her current role as co-founder of iQ360. iQ360 is a boutique integrated communications firm with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu. According to Lori, the firm helps companies tell their stories through a wide range of communication vehicles including video, infographics, and social media––whether that story is about launching a new product or navigating a crisis or litigation.

Lori quickly found her own niche at the U, and made great friends––many of whom still keep in touch––and engaged in a wide range of activities.

She started out in business, where she became a student senator. But in her junior year, she changed her focus to public relations. “I took a mass communication class in my sophomore year

She believes strongly that her humanities education helped shape her understanding of how we communicate and organize thoughts, 26

together for five years and when Amy decided to pursue other interests, Lori took their team and clients and started iQ360 with her current partner, Jeff Scott. “Leaving the safety of VISA was a big move for me – I loved being part of a large corporation. VISA is a great company to work for, with vast resources at my disposal.

When I left, I was suddenly on my own; I was the accountant, new business salesperson, janitor and receptionist – all at once!”

that really struck a chord,” Lori says. “I realized I wanted to do this! I loved it and I felt I would be good at it.” This turned out to be true, as Lori is now CEO of iQPR, a corporate communications firm. Lori fondly remembers classes taught by Professor Perry Sorenson, whom she notes had a profound impact. “He was tough, but he believed in me,” she says. “He took time to meet with me.”

Professor Sorenson encouraged Lori to seek internships. She admits that without that push, she probably wouldn’t have fought so hard to seek good internships while at the U, internships that she firmly believes have shaped her current career path.

Lori believes her success with iQ360 is firmly rooted in her undergraduate college education.

“The way I approached business problems was much different and more holistic than my fellow students who were in finance and sales.”

“I hope university instructors really understand the impact they can have on students,” Lori says.

“I remember a number of instructors I had at the U and how what they said to me, inside and outside of class, changed my thinking and my approach to the world. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I am grateful for that guidance now.”

“When I first got out of college and entered public relations work, we mostly communicated through the written word, Lori says. “But now we have to be able to communicate through all these emerging mediums, many of which are visual. It’s an exciting time to be in the communications field – we are engaging with our audiences in ways we never could before, telling our stories through video, through pictures and through other people sharing their experiences with their own networks.”

Once she graduated in 1991 with degrees in both public relations and political science, Lori worked in Salt Lake City as director of communications for Quaker State’s retail division and subsequently moved to San Francisco to work in technology PR. She later earned an MBA at University of San Francisco.

Lori joined VISA, where she worked in a variety of PR capacities. Ultimately she was promoted to VISA’s Chief Operating Officer’s Chief of Staff, a move that opened doors throughout the company. Hoping to stretch and grow, she next moved to the research and development group as a product manager. While there, she oversaw the development of a loyalty rewards platform for VISA, working with a large team of engineers, product people, and others. “It was a huge project, and a real leadership opportunity for me,” Lori says. “I loved my time there.”

When asked what advice she might give to an incoming freshman student at the University, she says, “Four years is going to just fly by. You really need to enjoy every moment you can, even the hard parts. I look back on my time at the U with such nostalgia. As a U student, you have the opportunity to test your belief system, try new things, and take risks. Experience something.

Take advantage of internships, find out what kind of job situations you’d like better than others, talk to your teachers and learn from them, and meet people from all over the world––different kinds of people, learn how they think. College is the time when you’re able to find out who you are, test who you are and write your own story. I believe the U allows for that, more so now than ever before.”

Despite enjoying her time at VISA, Lori continued to explore possibilities for launching her own firm. In 2005 she finally decided the time was right and started VPG LLP with fellow U of U alum Amy Greenfield. They ran the firm 27

CHANGING THE FACE OF HEALTHCARE IN NEVADA

SUSAN VANBEUGE – SPEECH COMM ’86

DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE (DNP, ‘09)

D

r. Susan Van Beuge never imagined that her undergraduate education in Speech Communication would lead to a fascinating career in nursing, and ultimately to her involvement in changing how healthcare is delivered in the state of Nevada. Currently n Assistant Professor at UNLV School of Nursing, Susan splits her time between teaching, part-time endocrinology clinical practice, and

clinical research. Her current research is tied to increasing interprofessional collaboration between various healthcare providers, particularly focused on enhancing care for the geriatric population.

Susan began her undergraduate studies at the University of Utah when she was just 17. “I was just a kid – and really didn’t know where I wanted to go with my education,” she says.

However, she quickly found herself focused on Communication. “My degree really chose me, “ she states. “I had the chance to work with some really good professors, like Professor Leonard Hawes, who were so dynamic. The more classes I took, the more I knew this was an area I wanted to focus on.”

Following graduation from the U, Susan found herself moving frequently around the country because of her husband’s employment. She was eager to find a career she could fall back on, and that could be easily applied regardless of where she and her husband landed. “Nursing was something I had always though about.

There was a strong demand for this and I realized I could use it anywhere.” She ultimately earned her nursing degree from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma Washington.

Susan went on to earn a masters’ degree in Nursing, as a Nurse Practitioner, and settled

Susan featured in the Nevada State Nursing Newsletter, 2nd from right

28

in Las Vegas, Nevada. She soon found herself part of a small group of healthcare professionals responsible for changing healthcare delivery in Nevada. “We were able to change the laws overseeing nurse practitioner practice, making us much more autonomous, and bringing the standards more in alignment with progressive states like Utah. This is a big change for Nevada nurse practitioners and my role in this change is something I’m very proud of.”

Prior to this legislative change, a nurse practitioner (NP) in Nevada was required to enter into a collaborative agreement with a licensed medical doctor in order to practice. This required an extensive legal agreement with the collaborating physician, and was a significant expense for the NP - often costing upwards of $1000/month. Perhaps most importantly, this arrangement prevented NPs from providing healthcare to some of the most needy populations, in lower income or rural settings.

By contrast, NPs in most states function as independent providers, with the ability to prescribe most medications. “It was so frustrating,” Susan states. “You could be licensed as a nurse practitioner in Utah, for example, with the exact same training and qualifications as an NP in Nevada. If you practiced in Utah you’d have little encumbrance to your practice. But if you moved to Nevada, suddenly you have all these restrictions, additional costs and limits to how you practiced. Why would anyone come here?”

According to Susan, Nevada and California were the only two states in the West with this practice restriction, with all other states having

progressed to upgrade laws and provide more appropriate provider practices.

Changing the law in Nevada didn’t happen overnight. Susan and her colleagues started the process in 2007. Over the years the group encountered politics, frustration and delays. It wasn’t until 2013 that Susan says they found “the right people” to support the initiative and were able to see it through. “We worked quietly to make this important change happen. Timing was everything.”

This legislative change is already having a profound impact on healthcare in Nevada. In the past year, the state has seen a three-fold increase in NP licenses compared to previous years as more practitioners have moved into the state.

“For us as NPs, it means ease of practice – less encumbrances, and we no longer have to pay a physician for the privilege of practicing.” But for Susan, the work isn’t nearly done. She’s already applying for grant funding to support research into how the statute changes are impacting healthcare delivery in Nevada, from prescriptive practices to nursing enrollment to clinical practices.

Despite all these great advances and improvements in the state’s laws, Susan believes the biggest change is that it increases access to healthcare for patients in Nevada. “That was our message from the beginning to the end: Let us practice to the full extent of our license, education and training. Let us be out there so we can take care of the people that need competent, professional health care providers.”

“I didn’t anticipate that my degree in Communication would provide such a great foundation for my nursing career – in fact for anything I do in my life,” Susan states. “I learned a lot about interpersonal relationships, about communicating, both in written and verbal forms. This has really served me well in nursing. As a healer, if you

can’t connect with people you can’t do what you need to do.”

29

STUDY

WHAT INTERESTS YOU

GREGORY MILLER-JONES

BS ECONOMICS, BA SPEECH COMM ‘93 in the finance arena.” He noted in particular the impact of several rhetoric courses taken from Professor Connie Bullis, who he refers to as “a great lady.” He also notes the impact of his organizational communication classes, which among other things, focused on how differently organizations can be structured. “In these classes we talked a lot about what goes into building successful organizations,” he states, “exploring organization designs that are sustainable is something I regularly reflect on in my current work.”

While at the U Greg took advantage of the International Study Abroad program and spent a summer in Spain, which he describes as a one of greatest experiences of his undergraduate work.

“It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. Our instructors were very adamant that we were in class each day, that this wasn’t just a fun summer vacation.”

W

hen Greg Miller-Jones was an undergraduate student at the University of Utah, he received some advice from his parents. He had not yet declared a major, and was seeking their input about possibly majoring in business. Their recommendation, if he wanted to go into business; he should plan on attending business school. But for now, he should major in something that strikes his interest.

As he moved into his upper division coursework, Greg realized that while he was gaining tremendous skills in writing/oration and communication, he didn’t yet have anything real to communicate about. His career goals remained focused on business, so while still pursuing a degree in Organizational

This is advice that Greg took to heart, soon declaring a major in Speech and Organizational Communication. “It’s fascinating to me,” states Greg, “that my coursework in the Humanities has had a tremendous impact on my ultimate success 30

allowed Greg to expand his expertise in this type of structured finance. HSBC’s Asset Based Lending Group currently manages approximately $5 billion in senior secured debt commitments.

Communication, he also began adding economics courses to his class load. By his senior year he had enough credits to graduate with degrees in both Economics and Communication, degrees he completed in 1993.

Along the way, he married Jennifer Nye, another U alum (BS HDFS, MeD, Sp Ed). The couple has two young children; and Greg is quick to point out that at seven and five, their kids might be the Ute’s biggest fans in southern California.

Upon graduating, he studied for his GMAT, applied to business school, and spent some time traveling in Europe with friends from the U. When he returned Greg chose to attend Northeastern University because of its unique “co-op” program, which allowed for two years of graduate course work, coupled with a requirement to successfully complete a six-month internship or co-op. His co-op experience was with Bank of America. “This,” he states, “is where I really began to learn finance and specifically the corporate banking business.”

Greg successfully completed his MBA from Northeastern University in 1996 and moved into a full time position with Bank of America’s Business Capital division in Los Angeles. He assumed various roles which allowed him to develop his credit and financial structuring skills.

Five years later Greg moved to Base Capital Services, where as a Principal, he engaged in contract audit, due diligence, and valuation/ viability examinations for various financial institutions, including Citigroup, CIT, Bank of America, and PNC.

When asked about what he might have done differently during his time at the University

“It’s fascinating to me that my coursework in

the Humanities has had a tremendous impact on my ultimate success in the finance arena.”

of Utah, Greg states, “I could have always studied more and I probably should have taken advantage of one of the numerous internship opportunities available.” He’s also glad that when he first arrived at the University he didn’t really know what he wanted to do. “It opened the door for me to really explore.” It wasn’t until his time in graduate school that he really came to appreciate his more general liberal arts undergraduate education. “At the end of the day, I really came to appreciate my parent’s advice to study what interested me at the U. It gave me a broader undergraduate experience, and allowed me more easily move into more specific professional training. As a result, I was able to bring a richer perspective to my peer group and a more-rounded base to my graduate studies. Professionally, I find it easier to work across a broad spectrum within the business community. I have a better understanding of individual’s roles – and therefore I feel I am a better at communicating and leading in my current position.”

Approximately five years later Greg was recruited away from Base Capital Services to GE Capital, moving into a Vice President role with GE Capital’s Corporate Finance business, where he was responsible for originating senior secured debt opportunities throughout the southwestern US. In 2011, he moved to his current position in HSBC (HSBC Bank USA), where he is a Senior Vice President and Head of Business Development for HSBC’s Asset Based Lending Group in the western United States. This move 31

Hell, Belief, & Brownfields

by Jessica Tam © 2014 Super Lawyers Magazine

DAVID L. GUEVARA – Ph.D. PHILOSOPHY ’03 FORMER PHILOSOPHY INSTRUCTOR

D

avid L. Guevara’s studies took him to hell

interested in more of the practical application

and back.

of philosophical principles as opposed to the theoretical analysis of philosophical principles.”

After Guevara earned a bachelor’s degree in

“Although my principal philosophical interest

philosophy and a master’s in religious studies, he

was epistemological,” he says, “I was always

spent two years teaching philosophy at two Salt

exceedingly interested in the nature of law, given

Lake City colleges, and three summers teaching

the law’s obviously enormous influence over

world religion at the University of Utah while

all human societies and human endeavors.” So

earning his Ph.D. In 2003, he completed his

after earning his doctorate, he applied to the

dissertation, “Hell, Belief and Justice” which asked:

University of Notre Dame Law School.

He was also compelled, he says, “by the fact that it would lead to a good job, or so I hoped.”

“If an individual has a justified belief in the nonexistence of God, what bearing does that have on the Christian doctrine of hell, which presupposes a belief in the existence of God?”

After graduation, Guevara joined Taft Stettinius & Hollister’s Indianapolis office, where he now practices environmental law and litigation.

“As a summer associate, it just happened that an environmental attorney at the firm needed some assistance on a few projects, so I started working

His conclusion—that it would be immoral for

with him and never stopped,” says Guevara of

that person to be “consigned to the set of the

partner Bradley Sugarman. “The practice area

damned”—helped earn Guevara his doctorate in

also overlaps with other areas of the law, such as

philosophy.

insurance law and litigation, so it has proven to be a very stimulating practice area.”

As an undergrad, “I did envision myself eventually in a teaching role,” he says. “I loved teaching when The transition from academia to the practice

I did teach, but at some point, I really became 32

of law wasn’t without bumps. He now strives

prior to purchase, cooperated with authorities

to follow the model of successful attorneys

and appropriately handled any hazardous

who “truly understand the underlying legal

substances found on-site.

principles, accurately discern the problem at issue “If businesses knew they could protect themselves

and expeditiously make creative and practical

from liability as bona fide prospective purchasers,

solutions,” he says.

it would ideally result in the redevelopment Guevara currently works with property owners facing environmental liability matters. For

David now strives to follow the model of successful attorneys who “truly understand the underlying legal principles, accurately discern the problem at issue and expeditiously make creative and practical solutions.”

example, he counsels businesses, municipalities and real estate developers who are looking into purchasing and developing brownfields— property that may have been previously contaminated or polluted. The Environmental Protection Agency has funded the cleanup of such spaces through its Brownfields Program since 1995. But purchasers have been wary, even

of brownfields and less development of open

though the brownfields may be in great locations,

and green spaces,” says Guevara. “And most

due to the Comprehensive Environmental

importantly for our clients, by establishing themselves as bona fide prospective purchasers, businesses avoid the enormous costs associated with environmental liabilities.”

The Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Defense is Guevara’s latest book, which he co-authored with Frank J. Deveau, co-chair of Taft’s environmental practice group. The two previously worked together to write Environmental Liability and Insurance Recovery. Guevara says he refers to both resources at least once a week.

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Besides frequent reading, are there any

“CERCLA’s liability scheme posed a barrier to the redevelopment of brownfields because

similarities between his previous career and

parties could be held liable for the entire costs

his current one? “What I liked the most [about

of investigating and remediating contaminated

teaching] was seeing the students really become

sites even if they purchased the property after

enlightened by philosophical ideas,” he says.

“That’s where I think there is a lot of overlap in

the contamination occurred or were otherwise

taking the law, case law, statutes and regulations

innocent parties,” he says.

that all pertain to the same subject matter and Guevara helps clients qualify as bona fide

trying to elucidate a principle that’s

prospective purchasers, meaning that they’ve

embedded in all of those.”

conducted inquiries into a property’s condition 33

FROM

PRESIDENT OF ASUU

T O PRESIDENT OF A GLOBAL MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY

Mark Paul (’87 English) President, Stryker Neurovascular

things like economic and social elements, or exploring the politics that informed the story’s characters. The class sparked a passion for Mark, and quickly changed his major to study English. “I believe you should study what you love and be open to possibilities,” Mark says.

Being open to possibilities has since been a constant theme in Mark’s professional career.

While at the U, Mark was elected president of the Associated Students of The University of Utah (ASUU). His hard work and success in this capacity helped establish a solid foundation for what became a diverse and exciting professional career. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Mark was quickly hired by Proctor & Gamble as a part of their Sales Management team. He enjoyed the position, but, in keeping with his belief in being open to possibilities, he soon recognized a new path in the medical field – one full of opportunity and interest.

M

ark Paul didn’t start out with aspirations of running a medical tech firm. In fact, when he first came to the University of Utah as an undergraduate student, he thought he might end up in Law or Architecture. But then he took an English class and everything fell into place. In this class, he was challenged to read deeply and analyze literature, delving beyond the story line to

This new path was illuminated for Mark at the time that he and his wife welcomed their first child – via caesarean section. In addition to the excitement of bringing a baby into his

“I believe you should study what you love and be open to possibilities.”

34

Mark loves his work, and loves that Stryker has such a positive impact on people’s lives.

When looking back on the unusual course he charted to get to this point, he believes strongly that his degree in English has had a tremendous impact on his current success. “In my English studies I learned to break down and analyze key elements of the story, to understand context, and ultimately formulate a solid thesis of understanding. These are skills

“I learned to break down and analyze key elements of the story, to understand

family, Mark was captivated by the medical world, anatomy and surgical procedures to which he was exposed in the process.

context, and ultimately formulate a solid thesis of understanding.”

He considered returning to school to get a medical degree, but was concerned that he was too old. So he looked to other possibilities, landing first at Boston Scientific, and then ultimately as President of Stryker Neurovascular, the world’s leader in less invasive neurosurgery. Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies offering array of innovative medical technologies including reconstructive, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products. Stryker products and services are now available in over 100 countries.

that I use every day in my work with Stryker.”

Mark remains passionate about reading and expanding his understanding of good literature. He even dreams of continuing his formal education someday. In the mean time, he credits his time at the U for giving him the skills and confidence to be open to possibilities – something that has made all the difference in his goal to craft a meaningful life.

35

RE-POWERING THE WORLD Mitch Crowley, Mass Communication 2002

production class taught by Professor Bob Avery, which really impacted him. “Professor Avery had a big influence on me, and really spurred my interest in all the creative aspects of production.”

At one point during his undergraduate experience, however, Mitch began to question his long-term career goals. “I realized I didn’t have the right voice to be a sports broadcaster.

So I began exploring options, and realized there may be an opportunity to stay in the field, but in a different capacity. I decided to move to

M

Los Angeles, the mecca for TV production, and

itch Crowley didn’t start out his

pursue a graduate business degree, which I hoped

educational career with dreams of

to combine with my television interests.”

changing the world. But through his current

work with SunPower, he’s helping to do just that – changing the way we think about and use clean, solar energy.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Utah, Mitch was actually interested in television production, particularly media and sports broadcasting, which spurred his decision to major in Mass Communication, with a goal to be a sports broadcaster. He remembers, in particular, a media law class, which helped him gain a solid sense of argument logic, and a television 36

He has also successfully developed marketing packages and power purchase proposals for multiple projects and helped negotiate power

“I still get excited about the prospect of repowering the world with clean energy. There is lots of growth in this sector, and lots of opportunity.”

purchase agreements for two wind energy projects that resulted in over $290 million in capital investments.

Mitch moved to California and successfully

According to Mitch, he uses his Communication

completed the MBA program at UCLA. Soon

education daily at SunPower– whether it’s

thereafter, he was offered a senior position at

informing interpersonal communication or

SunPower, one of the largest solar voltate panel

making visual sales presentations. “In this field,

manufacturers in the U.S. He notes that growing

there is a lot of information to communicate to

up in Utah helped instill in him a love of the

our clients – being able to do that clearly and

outdoors - including a deep-seated environmental

intelligently is a key aspect of sales.”

ethic and an interest in renewable energy.

Mitch is now a Senior Sales Analyst for

When asked what advice he’d give to current

SunPower, and is known for having exceptional

students at the University who are just starting

skills in business development, deal structuring

their education, he says, “I’d tell them to give it

for acquisitions and project management. In

everything – all their passion. Take advantage

his current role, he secured, together with his

of every internship available, and use

development team, full investment approval from

those experiences to plot your path.”

senior management to acquire and construct five separate wind energy projects – a deal that represented a total investment of $600 million.

37

AZIN MAFI BA, PHILOSOPHY

DELIVERED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HUNTSMAN CENTER, MAY 3 2013.

I

stand before a group of students, professors, mothers, and fathers who are not only precious members in our community, but are people who are currently adding luster and beauty to the world. I imagine that like me, you, the fellow students have had a unique educational journey. Many times, you may have felt frustrated,

made us more reflective, more articulated, and has given us the tools to be critical and analytical of the world around us in a way which is fruitful and intelligent. I know that for me, studying philosophy has been an experience unlike any.

It has humbled me and nurtured a sense of curiosity within me. It has taught me that often times, the real merit lies in the question we ask of the world and not necessarily the answers we may come up with. More importantly, philosophy taught me that ideas and thoughts are powerful ways through which our world can begin to shift towards a more positive direction.

“Through studying the humanities, we have come to understand the beautiful

paradigm of the human experience�

However, this very experience of learning, graduating, and sharing the joys of our success is unique to only a small group of us. I want to share a story with you which I hope will better motivate all of us to not only appreciate this moment in time, but to also fight diligently for the rights of others.

stressed, or questioned your own strengths and abilities, yet here you are today, exhilarated and joyous for what the future holds for you.

Through studying the humanities, we have come to understand the beautiful paradigm of the human experience and we have learned to see the common thread, which holds humanity together.

For a lot of us, choosing to study the humanities meant that we were not interested in material gain, but that we wanted to dedicate ourselves to continual learning. Many of you would probably agree that studying the humanities has enhanced our powers of expression, and has changed the quality of our perception. It has

Thirteen years ago, I along with my family immigrated to the Unites States. We left behind our families, our belongings, and the places we had come to know and love in search of a country that would lend us the opportunity to be free. We left primarily because some minorities in Iran are systemically denied the right to higher education and are not given the basic rights we take for granted, simply because of their religious or philosophical beliefs. Therefore, had my parents 38

CONV OC ATI O N 2013 The College of Humanities recognizes one student at graduation who exemplifies commitment to and passion for studies in the Humanities. The student is selected from a committee of faculty, staff and peers to represent the graduating class at Convocation with remarks on his or her time in the College and at the University. For 2013, Azin Mafi was selected to

address the graduating class of 2013 in the College of Humanities.

stayed in Iran, the chances of me standing before you or even getting an education would have been close to none. I might have been imprisoned, tortured, and certainly discriminated against, and would have never been able to share the joys of learning with the rest of you.Therefore, I want to emphasize that our experience here today is a rare one not enjoyed by many others around the world. We are certainly blessed and fortunate to be part of this enterprise, and what we choose to do with our knowledge ought to be reflective of this unique privilege.

productive and fruitful so that one day we may all live in a world full of opportunity and beauty.

Of course, part of our challenge lies in the ways in which we choose to share our knowledge with the

“Philosophy taught me that ideas and thoughts are powerful ways through which our world can begin to shift towards a more positive direction.� world. Whether we go back to graduate school, take up a job, or choose a path entirely different than the one we have tread thus far, I hope that all of us will be a cause of integrity and goodness in the world. I hope that we join our efforts in creating a world full of justice, inspiration, understanding, and openness.

I believe a lot of you probably share the same sentiments as me; we wish for a world in which education is granted to everyone, regardless of money, race, gender, or status; and some of the tools needed to bring about this change has been given to us by this institution, our professors, our families, and our friends.

It is my hope that your faithful and sacrificial efforts will be a cause of gratefulness and inspiration for generations to come.

Therefore, the challenge that remains for us is to think of innovative and creative ways to integrate what we have learned into our lives in a way which is cohesive and continual; in a way that is

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The College of Humanities recognized Andrea

Thomas, (BS - Mass Communication, 1988) as its Distinguisthed Alumna for 2012-2013.

A graduate of the Communication Department, Andrea is currently Senior Vice President Of Sustainability for Walmart Stores. In this role she is charged with working to embed sustainability into all aspects of the company’s business. She is committed to sustainability within the Walmart private label business, with responsibilities for global brand, product development and sourcing for the company’s proprietary brands. She is also director of The Sustainability Consortium, an independent, global organization developing science and tools to support product sustainability across the consumer goods industry.

This outstanding woman was honored during the College of Humanities Convocation ceremony. Ms. Thomas gave the following remarks at a luncheon in her honor.

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2013 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS THE FOLLOWING REMARKS ARE BY

ANDREA THOMAS SVP OF SUSTAINABILITY AT WALMART

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA

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hauling waste to the landfill with revenue that comes from recycling the waste in our stores.

lthough I have spent most of my career in business, the skills I learned while getting a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications in the College of Humanities have been invaluable as I developed skills to influence others.

In one of my most memorable classes, I was required to memorize the entire style book. I didn’t appreciate at the time how important it is to be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and that class dramatically improved my communication skills.

In my role leading the global sustainability team at Walmart, I was involved in many discussions with leaders from business, government and non-governmental organizations working through some big, challenging environmental issues. There is always a lively debate, but it seems to be more difficult to align on the problem that needs to be solved and the things that can be done to solve that problem. Impact does not come from mere

Another important business skill is story-telling. Fact and figures can give you information but rarely do they inspire you. The ability to bring strategy to life by engaging your audience through a well-told story works particularly well in a business setting. But, in business school I was taught to lean heavily on spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. I learned how to craft a story during my undergraduate studies in the College of Humanities and I frequently have the opportunity to put this skill to use.

I often get asked why I choose to work at Walmart.

The reason is that I am very motivated by the impact I can have by working here. I can describe that impact through facts and figures like the $475 billion worth of products we sell a year to the 200 million customers who shop at a Walmart store every week. But, by focusing on the numbers, you really miss the company’s purpose. I came to work at Walmart because of the mission of the company to save people money so they can live better.

It is so much more impactful to describe the farmers I have met in Africa who can sell more of their products because Walmart is there, or to tell stories about the people I have met who have tears of gratitude in their eyes because their prescriptions went from $80 to $4 because of Walmart.

“I came to work at Walmart because of the mission of the company to save people money so

they can live better. “

conversation. One of the ways that has been effective to hold our organization accountable to making real change is through making public commitments. The more complex the issue, the more important it is to sweat every word. There is a big difference between “reducing waste” and “creating zero waste.” And, because we have this aspiration goal, we have been able to replace the cost of

The world has changed dramatically during the 25 years since I graduated from the University of Utah. But, the communication skills I learned in college are every bit as relevant as they were when I graduated.

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RANDALL TOLPINRUD CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, PAX NATURA FOUNDATION This outstanding foundation was honored during the College of Humanities Convocation ceremony on May 3, 2013. Randall Tolpinrud, and Will Connelly offered the following remarks, at a luncheon honoring the Foundation.

I

have been asked to say something about how an education in the humanities has impacted my life and work with Pax Natura.

But shouldn’t we be asking some very important questions here?

Technology is moving literally at the speed of light in the 21st century but are all of these technologies good for us and the planet in the long run? For example, should we be arbitrarily re-configuring the lithosphere by mining stored sunlight in the form of grey, dead carbon to power our needs with apparently little concern for the consequences? Are economic models based upon the allocation of resources and the distribution of goods and services, without taking into consideration the environment, sustainable? Is it really a good idea to eat transgenic recombinant genes from a variety of species and bacteria rammed into our food without adequate testing for human and environmental health impacts?

Do we really want genetically engineered children?

Is it ethical and moral to rob future generations of a sustainable and healthy climate? These questions are certainly NOT being asked by the fossil-fuel energy industry, nor the bio-tech industry, nor the financial services industry. It is our humanity, our subjectivity, it seems to me, as sentient beings that connects us together and this shared humanity constitutes a morality rooted in the human soul….a morality that can often be a guide to higher principles that focus on interrelationships and interconnections that remind us that nature, and not the human intellect, is sovereign over living systems.

To address this question I would like to draw your attention to the debate between holism versus reductionism in modern physical theory……a debate that has taken on greater significance with the global environmental crisis looming. Reductionist models in the physical sciences have succeeded dramatically in improving the quality of our lives. We have unlocked the secrets of the electromagnetic spectrum to dazzling effect, unleashed the power of the atom, penetrated the secrets of DNA and the human genome, and now we could potentially genetically re-configure the biosphere of the planet in perhaps a generation. We could soon have super-babies with all the latest gadgetry the geneticist can muster to the whims of the latest fad. Bigger ears, super brains, greater longevity, more powerful bodies….by 2030 most people will have the ability to design new organisms from scratch and change their own bodies at will. You might see people of different colors (including pink, orange and striped yellow-green), people with fur, people with animated skin, people with various additional body parts added for aesthetic reasons, people with various face adjustments or perhaps body-parts resembling animal parts like feline eyes, etc. Whatever we want will soon be available including possibly the elimination of inherited and unwanted genetic diseases!

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2013 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS Pax Natura Foundation: Honorary Distinguished Alumnus for 2012-2013. It is the belief of those who founded Pax Natura Foundation that the preservation and restoration of the rain forest represents a universal declaration of peace with Nature, marking the beginning of a new era of live on earth, “where human civilization is patterned upon the eternal guiding principles of natural law, and the diversity of live is governed, without prejudice, from the unity and oneness of Nature.”

Remember, it took us several hundred million years of evolution to start talking about….ecology! What took us so long! Our best shot at attempting to mimic natural ‘sustainability’ has been space flight and Bio-Sphere I and Bio-Sphere II in Arizona. They were designed to explore the complex web of interactions within living systems in a structure that included five biomes, an agricultural area, and a human living/work space to study the interactions between humans and the rest of nature.

Well, our best shot at sustainability lasted for about 3-years when these human-designed eco-systems collapsed. We can talk about sustainability and technology all we want but shouldn’t we recognize that the holistic system of natural law, the supreme organizing power of nature, has done a pretty good job over the last 3.7 billion years on planet earth to evolve life-support systems resulting in, among other extraordinary marvels, the human brain…..and that amazingly queer, peculiar something or other, we call consciousness. So we should keep in mind here….the reductionist approach alone, while important, has significant limitations. For example, it has failed to explain two rather important phenomena in this regard: matter and consciousness. The physical universe itself and our only means available for exploring it….our mind….have eluded any sort of reductive explanation. This is not insignificant. Perhaps the lesson here is that maybe we have missed something really quite profound.

all systems, organs, tissues and cells in the body? Isn’t environmental health the seamless and spontaneous interaction of all parts of an ecosystem? Isn’t beauty the aesthetic recognition of the order, harmony, and symmetry found in a flower, a tree, or a sunset? Perhaps our new-found expressions like organic, renewable,

Technology is moving literally at the speed of light in the 21st century but are all of these technologies

good for us and the planet in the long run? sustainable, ecological, bio-mimicry, holistic healthcare, all suggest that we are beginning to understand the holistic nature of life and the limits of divide and conquer. Great souls remind us that we are mutually interdependent and that each and every part plays a significant role in the magnificent tapestry we call life.

Pax Natura Foundation represents a universal declaration of peace with nature and holds that until the human family learns to live according to natural law that governs all living systems, the future of life on earth will remain in doubt. In order to keep the big picture in mind, therefore, we believe that a humanities education is more crucial now than at any time in our history. The world is looking for leadership to resolve a host of moral and ethical challenges, including the environmental crisis, and clearly the responsibility falls on the shoulders of those with broad vision to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow, leaders who understand that we are one people, on one beautiful earth…indivisible, with liberty and justice for all...creatures great and small. This is what a humanities education has taught me. Thank you.

The environmental crisis shows us that we have lost our way, that we have forgotten who we are and where we came from. Where we should be mimicking the organizing power of nature and learning to live more effectively according to her laws, we have in effect, declared war on the natural world. But isn’t human health the seamless and spontaneous interaction of 43

WILL CONNELLY CO-FOUNDER, PAX NATURA FOUNDATION

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hank you, Robert, for your introduction.

This is a remarkable gathering of your students and their mentors, a concrete example of the value of a broad, grounded education in the humanities, and its potential to impact the world.

Congratulations to all!

declare peace with all mankind, invited me and an amazing band of fellow travelers to embark on an active pursuit of a gentler future.

Our civilization has been relentless in its defiance and exploitation of the natural world, a steady battle, perhaps pushing beyond the planet’s capacity to sustain us. It is long past time to declare that war over, putting in its place a state of “Peace with Nature.”

Pax Natura - “Peace with Nature” - is a fine sentiment, but what does it mean? The answer is as simple as taking a breath and as complicated as combatting climate change, as easy as basking in the warmth of the sun or as technical as teasing energy from the wind, as delightful as tasting a tomato or as crucial as halting the scourge of unnatural foods and poisoned lands.

The Pax Natura Foundation has been one of the great joys of my life. Almost accidental, certainly not planned or contrived, it all just kind of happened. And it has changed my life and that of my family. If I have one recommendation, for students and teachers alike, it

“it is about finding our place in the natural world that is our common inheritance”

But mostly it is about finding our place in the natural world that is our common inheritance. It is a civil imperative, a moral imperative, even an aesthetic imperative. “Peace with Nature” means finding a way to work around and within natural systems, so that we might live with the abundance that should be our birthright. As the “Cradle-to-Cradle” architect, William McDonough put it,“It is not enough to do less harm, we must all do more good.”

would be to remain open to possibilities, to be prepared to follow where life might allow you to go. You never know when some new vista might be the best thing that ever happened to you.

I’m an architect, it’s my day job. As an architect, good design has always meant respecting the site, the sun, the wind, the view, as well as the inhabitants.

At one point the quest for better balance in both my personal and professional lives led me to the majesty of the tropical forests, the breathing lungs of our planet, and storehouse of unimaginable biological treasures.

Anyone who has entered these primeval worlds has felt the profound spiritual power resident in their intense web of life.

Ultimately, that is what we at the Pax Natura Foundation try to do. It has been our greatt good fortune to be joined in that effort by the College of Humanities, in particular, Steve Tatum, Terry Tempest Williams and her husband Brooke, Heidi Camp, and of course, Dean Newman, and many others, students and staff. The clear vision of the College, with its attempts to instill the values of a mindful approach to the earth in all its students and programs, has served as additional inspiration - indeed a goad - to continue on the Pax Natura path to “Peace with Nature.” Keep the faith and we may yet survive.

The inspiration and open hearts of the Costa Rican people, the first nation to abolish their military and 44

2013 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS

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Universal Declaration of Peace with Nature will mark the beginning of a new era of life on earth where human civilization is patterned on the eternal guiding principles of natural law, and the diversity of life is governed, without prejudice, from the unity and oneness of Nature. Therefore, we the undersigned, representing ourselves, our lands, and the best aspirations of all humankind, do hereby declare from this day forward, a state of perpetual Peace with Nature.

– From the Pax Natura Declaration

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“Real Generosity Toward The Future Lies In Giving All To The Present.”

– Albert Camus, French Philosopher

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W

e are deeply grateful to the more than 1000 friends and donors to the college who have given to the College of Humanities this past year in the hopes of improving the future of our students and our communities.

Thank you.

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