A&S Newsletter - Fall 2014

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Arts&Sciences News from the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences • Fall 2014

To be or not: Can the humanities survive the 21st century?

The question was posed a few years ago in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the premier periodical for higher education issues. The September 2010 article narrowed the question further after describing how the focus of academe has shifted far away from the humanities: The real question is not “Will the humanities survive in the 21st century?” but “Who cares?”

The University of Tulsa cares!

The evidence is the recent launch of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities.

“The center will demonstrate that the humanities and arts are thriving at the University of Tulsa,” said Kalpana Misra, dean of the college.

“It will strengthen and energize collaborative and interdisciplinary teaching and research, organize symposia to foster conversations that are at the heart of civilized existence, and provide space and opportunities for a broader and deeper engagement with the larger community in the city and the state.”

According to Sean Latham, the Pauline McFarlin Walter Endowed Chair of English and the editor of the James Joyce Quarterly, who also serves as the center’s director, with the recent surge in Tulsa’s arts and humanities scene, administrators at TU began discussing ways to use the energy of that renaissance to create a deeper understanding. “Dean Misra asked me to put together a proposal, and within a few weeks, we were moving at lightning speed.”

It would be hard to find a better fit for the director role than Latham, whose teaching and research includes not only James Joyce but also media theory and digital humanities. His current research focuses on video games, zombie modernism, science fiction and digital culture.

The center, first of its kind in Oklahoma, officially launched in February and immediately began its work. In addition to creating an advisory board, Latham and his team: launched a humanities think-tank of faculty, student and public fellows and planned its first year of activity; began planning a World War I centenary event; held a multidisciplinary humanities festival; and cohosted Tulsa’s first-ever Bloomsday on June 16, 2014.

HUMANITIES FESTIVAL The center’s first event provided a venue for

student exhibits and performances.

“The first Arts and Humanities Festival was held April 29, during the days between the end of classes and finals,” Latham said. “We weren’t certain how many students would participate, but we ended up having more than 80 featured.”

The festival included visual arts exhibitions, dramatic readings, musical performances, theatre exhibitions and films. With an estimated attendance of more than 300, the festival took over the Lorton Performance Center for the day.

“This was a great chance for students to take a study break and rejuvenate their brains through art,” Latham said. “We expect this to become a popular annual event that will eventually attract more members of the public as well as the campus community.”

WORLD WAR I CENTENARY EVENTS To mark the centennial of World War I, the center is scheduling a year-long series of exhibits, colloquia and presentations.

“Most people don’t know TU’s McFarlin Special Collections has one of the most extensive WWI collections available,” Latham said. “Some of this collection will be exhibited for the public this summer at the Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education as the kick-off to the year-long event.”

Each month of the academic year will feature a different lecture or event tied to the war.

“On October 31st and November 1st, our theatre and musical theatre students will present songs from the era interposed by the readings of letters from the front,” Latham said. “This will be an engaging way to present this historic perspective, and we expect local high schools to bring students.”

Latham said experts also will provide public lectures on topics such as WWI firearms, the literature of the war, WWI on film, and the role of Victory Gardens.

RESEARCH FELLOWS – EXPLORING PRIVACY While the WWI events explore the past, other center events explore what it means to be human in the 21st century by examining a salient current topic — privacy.

www.utulsa.edu/cas

The center will select faculty, students and community members to act as fellows—meeting weekly to discuss what privacy is, how it has changed over time, and why it matters so much to us. The fellows will present their findings in public events throughout the spring 2015 semester, contributing to a diverse array of lectures, debates, and symposia on the topic.

“With the recent controversy surrounding the NSA’s invasion of privacy as well as how social media is changing the way we think about our private lives, this is an ideal time to focus on this topic,” Latham said. “We are discussing how the concept of privacy has changed over time and what cultural influences are affected by the issue.”

Currently, five faculty members serve on the research seminar; four from the College of Arts & Sciences and one from the College of Law. One graduate student and one undergraduate also participate, as well as two members of the community, a journalist and an information technology professional.

“This humanities think-tank meets once a week to engage in critical thought and ethical inquiry related to privacy,” Latham said. “The group is also involved in planning those culminating events.”

Latham stressed that privacy will be the theme through the 2014-2015 academic year. Before the end of its inaugural year, the center will announce a new theme for the next year and begin designing a think-tank and public programming around that topic.

In answer to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s question, it is clear that TU and the Tulsa community care about the humanities. With the development of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, those disciplines that explore and celebrate all that which makes us human are alive, well and engaging members of both the campus and the community.

For more information, visit the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities’ website (www.utulsa. edu/humanities) and Facebook page (Facebook. com/OKcenterforthehumanities). You may also view the short video, The Heart of the Matter, at http://vimeo.com/68662447.

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN Introspection, self-evaluation and assessment is as crucial for institutions as it is for individuals. In the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, we are committed to an ongoing process of evaluating our performance, building on our strengths, and addressing any perceived weaknesses. We gather information and welcome feedback to identify challenges and opportunities, set goals, and devise strategies to take the College to new heights of excellence and accomplishment.

As we look back at this past year and plan ahead for the next it is useful to remind ourselves of what we do best.

Henry Kendall College: • Produces engaged scholars. Our students not only receive national recognition for their scholarly achievements but also have an active presence locally and regionally through campus leadership and service to the community.

• Prepares tomorrow’s leaders. We nurture our students’ intellectual curiosity and provide realworld opportunities that reveal and maximize their potential. Graduates are well-prepared to pursue advanced degrees – often in the nation’s most competitive and prestigious institutions. With their liberal arts education and interdisciplinary approach, our students are ready to launch into varied and successful careers. These careers often entail a winding path toward professional and personal fulfillment, making their life journeys both scenic and rewarding.

• Provides individualized education. A onesize-fits-all approach is not for us. Our students have multiple strengths and interests. Our task is to help them design an effective, high quality degree program, with opportunities for double majors, minors, certificates, substantive and creative internships as well as study abroad opportunities.

• Preserves and nurtures relationships. Our faculty are not only reputable scholars, they are also accessible, dedicated and inspiring teachers who prize their interaction with students. These valuable and productive faculty/student ties guide our students to become more engaged in their disciplines and develop an appetite for life-long learning.

In challenging economic times and amid rising costs of higher education it is more important than ever to point to our successes and appreciate the value of the outstanding liberal arts education we provide. It is also crucial to resist resting on laurels. We must continue to strive for improvement as we tailor educational goals to help our students succeed in a complex and rapidly changing world.

This newsletter profiles people and stories that exemplify the attributes we cherish and the goals we pursue. I hope they instill as much pride in you as they do in us. As an alumnus, you have been building blocks that helped shape this image of the College we behold today. For that we are exceedingly grateful.

Kalpana Misra Dean Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences

Camp for Deaf Kids Last year when David Brown, associate professor of urban education, set out to host his annual one-week Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academy for school-aged children, he added a new twist — deaf and hard of hearing students. As he pondered how to blend STEM activities with this population of students, he realized that the approach needed to be no different than anything he had taught in the past. “Technology is a universal language. You don’t have to hear me to use it,” said Brown.

Together, Brown and Sharon Baker, applied professor and director of deaf education at TU, designed a week of knowledgebased activities in which students worked in pairs or teams to learn about specific topics.

Last year’s DeafSTEM academy focused on bio-fuels.

“We used the same curriculum as other camps, which is aligned with both Common Core and Oklahoma PASS standards,” said Baker. “The only difference was in our delivery.

We made sure that communication barriers were eliminated.

“The duo hired 12 mentors, all of whom knew sign language, including a deaf teacher who teaches robotics at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, a hearing teacher of the deaf from Tulsa Edison Preparatory Academy, TU students majoring in deaf education, undergraduate students majoring in STEMrelated fields, and local high school students.

Baker challenged Brown, who had no previous experience working with deaf and hard of hearing students, to consider what accommodations would be needed so that students could access his curriculum. Brown asked himself why he would slow down or omit material when he had nothing on which to base the changes. “The kids were not smarter or slower. Really, they worked the same as hearing kids,” Brown observed.

Brown and Baker kept the same curriculum from previous camps as a foundation to build future DeafSTEM camps. Brown wanted to challenge the students to connect with their potential during the activity-based camp and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly they took to the activities and grew into selfteaching learners.

Among the 22 students and 12 mentors, Brown found that he was the only person who did not sign, so he displayed information visually and used an interpreter to communicate when needed. Following Brown’s introduction to the learning module, mentors provided oneon-one support and lead group activities.

The student population was diverse not only ethnically, but also in terms of hearing loss. There were students who were deaf and communicated strictly in American Sign Language. There were students who were hard of hearing, used spoken English, and did not sign. There were students who could hear but had deaf family members. Many spoke Spanish in the home. There were students who attended the Oklahoma School for the Deaf in Sulphur, Oklahoma, and those who attended mainstream classes in Tulsa-area schools.

“Bringing these students together was a challenge, but the outcomes were amazing,” said Baker. “Sometimes hard of hearing students are the only ones in their schools with hearing loss, and find themselves isolated because of communication challenges. At camp, they discovered other students with

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similar backgrounds and experiences.”

Brown described how he personally connected with the experience of the students.

“Here at STEM camp, they are all in the same boat. There is no way for them to get singled out; everyone feels included,” Brown said. “With that stress and pressure and anxiety gone, they come to camp and just be students.”

Brown acknowledged that, as a teacher, he learned a lot from the students, not only about their unique learning styles, but also about their goals and dreams.

Baker expressed how valuable it was for the 22 students to have a deaf teacher involved in the camp as a role model for the students.

Many of the students had never met a deaf adult who was involved in STEM education or undergraduate mentors who were pursuing STEM-related majors. This unique experience for the campers gave them the chance to see what an adult life can look like for them and the vast array of opportunities available.

“Some of the hard of hearing who could not sign were a little intimidated at first about being around other deaf students,” Baker said.

“But after the week-long program, all of the students had learned to communicate with each other and had developed new friendships.

“The reason we run these STEM camps is so kids can learn at an early age that there are science and technology careers out there, and there are pathways to get to those careers,” Brown said. “The idea is that deaf and hard of hearing children have the same pathways.”

Brown and Baker opened the way for families through an open house hosted the final day of camp during which students presented their work. The STEM team did not know exactly what to expect from families, but were excited when the event was packed with parents, siblings, and extended family members. The team was also surprised at the varied abilities of families to communicate — some spoke English, others did not, and some signed, some did not. The one constant throughout the open house was the question, “Can we do this again?”

Brown and Baker hope to host another DeafSTEM camp. This year’s funding came from EPSCoR; but the purpose of these funds is to establish programs, not to sustain them, which leaves the team searching for new financial streams and resources. If Brown and Baker’s inaugural DeafSTEM experience is any indication, they will soon find another way to keep the program alive.

Building Bridges to Asia Pacific TU graduates armed with a liberal arts education not only enjoy rewarding careers, but have the opportunity to impact future world leaders. One of those alumni is Christina Monroe (BA ’94) who lives in Honolulu and is a leadership education specialist for the East-West Center.

The United States Congress created the East-West Center in 1960 to foster exchange between Asia, the nations of the Pacific, and the U.S., focusing heavily on leadership education training.

As one of the two leadership education specialists on staff, Monroe develops and coordinates leadership curriculum and fosters the opportunity for students to learn from each other’s cultures. She runs the leadership programs for undergraduate students to mid-career level professionals.

“The students learn from one another in leadership training,” said Monroe, who also provides coaching for the participants. “These leadership programs have great impact for individuals in the U.S., Asia, and the Pacific.”

The East-West Center holds programs primarily in Asia, on the U.S. East coast and in Hawaii. The center runs 14 different leadership programs developed around three key questions: What is happening in the world? What type of leadership is required? and What kind of impact can each individual have?

Monroe credits her education and experiences as a sociology student at TU in helping develop her critical thinking and leadership skills – skills she uses daily in her career. As a student, she also had the opportunity to watch leaders and learn from them, including her Introduction to Sociology instructor, Jean Blocker.

“Dr. Blocker’s class was the first time that learning really resonated with my life experiences and I saw the application,” said Monroe. “This was important to me when it came to leadership training.”

Monroe’s leadership experiences were honed during a study abroad opportunity in Vienna, Austria, and during an internship at the Tulsa Global Alliance. After completing the local internship her junior year, she had the opportunity for

an internship in Washington, D.C., the following summer.

One of the largest programs that Monroe oversees is the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative. This program was launched in late 2013 by President Obama and is funded by the State Department. The U.S. Embassy chooses 20 Southeast Asians to send to the United States for five weeks to learn from each other and their American peers.

Students spend three weeks in Hawaii, one week in Washington, D.C., and one week in Colorado.

“As a part of this program, students from the Asia Pacific get to see the diversity of the United States,” said Monroe.

(The Asia Pacific region includes all the nations that border the Pacific Ocean.)

While enjoying her career, Monroe continues to grow and learn more about leading organizations. She is pursuing a professional certificate at Georgetown University in organizational consulting and change leadership. With the U.S. turning its attention to the Asia Pacific, Monroe sees the impact of her work helping to build bridges there and looking at how important those relationships are.

“Those bridges are important to develop better leaders because most of our challenges are not getting smaller,” said Monroe. “I want to help develop leaders who are optimistic and realistic and can communicate across the borders to form alliances. I want to do that well.”

Key to Prehistoric Survival? Short Legs Researchers in TU’s anthropology department are using topographical data to break new ground in what we know about the world of Neanderthals, the now-extinct ancestral hominins.

Research led by Professor Donald Henry focuses on the Neanderthals’ short-legged physiology and how surrounding terrain affected their range for hunting and gathering food.

While anthropologists typically look at “biotic setting,” including the animals hunted, the plants eaten or the overall climate, this study uniquely emphasizes the terrain. It examines topography throughout the Levant, a geographic region including most of modern-day Turkey, most of Lebanon, Syria and portions of Iraq, Israel, Jordan and the Egyptian Sinai.

Henry and his colleagues TU Assistant

Professor of Anthropology Miriam Belmaker and Sean Bergin (MA ’05), a TU alumnus currently completing his doctorate at Arizona State University, are predicting that the team’s terrain-based data will provide a clearer picture of the Neanderthals’ range for hunting and gathering and, ultimately, their viability.

Traditionally, researchers have assumed that short-legged Neanderthals could not move about the landscape as efficiently as modern, long-legged humans. Recently, paleoanthropological research of Neanderthal morphology suggests that their shorter legs may have provided them with greater efficiency in steep mountain terrain. However, this finding has not been evaluated against archaeological field evidence.

“Terrain hasn’t been a big issue looking at Neanderthal adaptation. Some scholars have touched upon it, but no one has done an exhaustive, in-depth study of looking at the impact of terrain delimiting Neanderthal range,” Henry said.

Bergin specializes in determining ancient topography through the use of satellite imagery and other digital data. Currently, he is looking at sites and determining how far from a home base Neanderthals may have traveled based on the terrain of a certain area and Neanderthals’ physical limits in covering that terrain.

“We’re in the process of looking at the sites that Neanderthals occupied and looking at the terrain immediately around the site … using satellite imagery and doing what is called an ‘energetic site catchment analysis,’” Henry said. “So we look at the terrain and we map it and (determine) … how far you can go out from where you’re living and return. Then we see what the energetics would have been like with that terrain. This is called a ‘ruggedness index’ that geographers use, so it’s essentially a metric that tells you a little bit about how many ups and downs there are.”

Since topography has changed over the centuries, Bergin is using archeological materials that are on or near the surface to provide spot checks

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on what the terrain would have looked like 70,000 years ago, Henry said.

“Artifacts kind of map the surface for you,” he said. “With Neanderthals, we have two sources of information on where they were living: One is the sites with fossils, and then we have proxies in terms of sites that don’t have fossils but have the artifacts that are associated with the fossils in other sites.”

TU’s collections of artifacts have been essential to the team’s progress, Henry said.

“We have extensive artifacts from excavations in Jordan that are useful when we’re studying Neanderthals,” he said. “The nifty thing is that we have literally thousands of these artifacts that we can use from the site. We have an unusually large, diverse collection. It really enables us to do things like what we’re doing.”

Once analysis is completed, Henry, Bergin and Belmaker believe the evidence will show that, when it comes to a wooded, hilly terrain, Neanderthal’s shorter legs may not have been the liability that scientists originally thought.

“Modern humans and Neanderthals expended energy differently. Their lower limbs were proportionally shorter to their overall stature than ours,” Henry said. “They spent more energy getting around. We’re thinking that maybe in broken terrain, their stubby legs were not such a problem. It wasn’t such a liability for them.”

The research team is working hard to have findings prepared to present at the September International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences conference in Burgos, Spain. The UISPP is one of the only international organizations of its kind promoting internationally significant prehistoric and protohistoric research.

In addition to Henry’s work on terrain as it corresponds to Neanderthal’s range, his book, Sands of Time: Desert Neolithic Settlement of Ayn Abu Nukhayla, documents nine years of research at the 9,500-year-old site located in southern Jordan.

The research involved 23 collaborators from seven countries, including numerous TU students.

Pitching in on Major Movie Score While living in London last fall, Noam Faingold (BM ’07) looked forward to hanging out with Eli Marshall, a friend and fellow composer who would be in town a few days to record a major motion picture score. Faingold never expected what happened next.

“I thought we would just get together while he was in town,” Faingold said. “But two days before he arrived, he called and asked if I would be his composer’s assistant for the score. I immediately said ‘yes’ and started rearranging my schedule.”

As TU’s very first film scoring minor and with international experience as a composer and performer, Faingold felt confident about the task, even though he had never worked to produce a major film score. The motion picture, titled The Golden Era by renowned Chinese director Ann Hui, is due to be released in fall 2014.

“We worked with the London Symphony Orchestra and recorded in the famous Abbey Road Studio One,” Faingold said. “We had a 50-piece orchestra, seven parts, eight cues, and three hours to finish.” Faingold defines a cue as an individual piece of music in a film designed to elicit the appropriate mood.

Faingold said he met Marshall at his hotel, and they hit the ground running with only one day to prepare for the recording session. Even once recording began the next morning, the composers still had work to do.

“The musicians were ready to start recording, and one cue had not yet been written,” Faingold said. “Eli asked me to write it while he began

recording the other cues.”

Faingold said he spent the next seven hours meticulously creating a cue that would dovetail with the rest of the score, ensuring all parts worked together flawlessly. Even a minor error in a film score is noticeable and difficult to fix, so Faingold had to quickly recognize potential musical problems and write around them.

“I’ve worked with orchestras in the past, and

this was similar, except in this case, the rehearsal was also the concert,” he said. “It required that we manage our time down to the minute.”

Faingold said he looks forward to seeing the film and hearing the final production of the work he helped create in London last fall. In the meantime, he has returned to Tulsa, where he teaches composition classes at the Barthelmes Conserva-

Teacher of the Year Hits the Right Notes Kevin Pearson (BME ’08) hasn’t been teaching music long, but he’s hitting all the right notes.

Pearson, who teaches vocal music at Tulsa’s East Central Junior High, was honored as Tulsa Public Schools’ 2013 Teacher of the Year, a significant achievement by any standard, especially for someone with only five years of teaching experience when the application process began.

“I became very reflective while filling out the application. I came to know myself better as I put together a portfolio and considered questions about accountability, why I became a teacher, and why I do what I do in the classroom,” he said.

It’s easy to understand how Pearson stood out among the other applicants. His face lights up as he describes his work.

“I love getting up in the morning and coming to work. I love what I do,” he said.

While his passion for teaching middle school is apparent, Pearson considers himself “a teacher of teachers,” and believes what a teacher does outside the classroom is just as important as what he does in the classroom. As a result, he’s active in the teachers union, school district committees, and the Organization of American Kodály Educators, which recently elected him vice president.

“Kodály is a style of music education and philosophy that uses folk music to teach music and musicality,” he said. Pearson uses Kodály to teach both American and international folk songs, most

of which the students have never heard.

“If they’re singing something in the shower or in the car as their parents drive them to school, they don’t need me to teach it to them. It is the unique things they learn at school that they’ll recall. I try to make my class something they will always remember,” he said.

Pearson, a native of Sand Springs, credits The University of Tulsa for providing the foundation and support he needed to become the teacher he is today. He is still in frequent contact with TU faculty, especially his mentors Kim Childs, associate professor of choral studies and voice, and Susan GoldmanMoore, coordinator of voice and vocal music education. Both were Pearson’s professors throughout his college years.

When choosing a college as a senior at Charles Page High School, Pearson said, “I never really thought about any other than TU. The size of the School of Music allowed me to get to know everybody and develop lifelong bonds.”

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tory and serves as composer-in-residence at the Mid-Town School of Performing Arts. In addition to teaching, Faingold is focusing on concert music writing.

His album, Burning City Orchestra, was released in June; in recent months, his music has been featured in concerts from Sweden to Bartlesville to France and Argentina. August will be the world premiere of a commissioned piece for New York Philharmonic oboist Rob Botti. In addition to a global following, Faingold also holds a 2009 masters of music from New York University and recently completed his doctorate in music composition through King’s College in London.

Although he is widely regarded as one of the world’s top young composers, Faingold said he is content to make a life in Tulsa.

“I feel more useful here,” said Faingold, who moved to Tulsa with his family at age 12. “There is plenty of work here, but I also have a chance to mentor young performers and composers. Fortunately, I can use some of my industry connections to help them make their way into the larger music scene.”

Being in Tulsa also gives Faingold a chance to spend time at TU, where his father still works as a linguistics professor. Last spring, the younger Faingold gave a visiting composer presentation at TU for music students.

“I want to focus on mentorship right now,” Faingold said. “That’s what people really need to be successful.”

100 Women With Moxie The Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce that of the “100 Women with Moxie” recently selected by the Tulsa YWCA, 22 attended TU; and of those, 20 are A&S graduates!

JOSEPH PELTON, RIGHT (BA ‘65), MEETING PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

Imagination Spurs Communication in the Final Frontier Joseph Pelton, Ph.D. (BA ’65) was awarded the prestigious “Arthur C. Clarke International Award” in the United Kingdom in fall 2013 to recognize his lifetime contributions to international space activity. Given by the United Kingdom Space Association, the award is named in honor of Arthur C. Clarke, renowned scientist and writer whose works included 2001: A Space Odyssey. The award is considered the top space award given in England. In 2012, the Director General of the European Space Agency won the award.

A quick look at Pelton’s résumé reveals why this Tulsa native, who was TU’s Student Senate president and Omicron Delta Kappa’s Man of the Year in 1965, is deserving of such international acclaim. He served as director of the Space and Advanced Communications Research Institute at George Washington University and as dean and chairman of the International Space University of Strasbourg, France. Other posts include serving as director of the Graduate Telecommunications Program at the University of Colorado and as director of strategic policy at the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat). He is also on the executive board of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety and the author of hundreds of articles and some 40 books in the fields of telecommunications and space, including his Pulitzer Prize-nominated book, Global Talk.

Pelton, who founded the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, was also the founding president of the worldwide Society of Satellite Professionals organization and one of the organizers of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. The Clarke Foundation, located in the U.S., has worldwide impact by providing annual awards, educational programs, lectures, fellowships, travel grants, and organizational endowments. Pelton most recently worked to create the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at the University of California in San Diego.

A huge fan of Arthur Clarke, Pelton is more than an admirer. “The highlight of my career was playing table tennis with Dr. Clarke in the 1980s. He was an amazing man,” said Pelton.

Pelton continues his work with the International Space University, which uses an interdisciplinary approach to solving futuristic problems such as “How to Create a Colony on the Moon.” Students with diverse skills —

medical doctors, attorneys, urban planners, and legal and policy analysts — work together on complex issues in this unique setting.

“Our students must consider all these different areas — space transportation, environment, food, government, and more. It’s a systems approach to everything, combining skills in physics, math and political science. In a complex world, that is the key to the future,” according to Pelton.

Pelton’s background speaks to his ability to master multiple disciplines. In addition to his TU bachelor’s degree in physics and history, he also holds a master’s degree from NYU in international relations, and a doctoral degree from Georgetown in international space organization.

“Academic confusion leads to success,” Pelton quipped. Innovative new approaches have certainly led to success for his family.

Pelton is proud to be related to a number of inventors including Lester Allen Pelton, creator of the Pelton water wheel and the first hydroelectric generator; and his grandfather, Willis Pelton, who patented the world’s first corn harvester. His brother, Dale Allan Pelton, is a Hollywood art director who has worked on films with Steven Spielberg and other famous directors. Pelton’s own daughter followed the family tradition with degrees from Cornell in astrophysics, Russian studies and public policy.

Her diverse studies helped her land a job at the White House Office of Science and Technology.

Pelton lives with his wife, TU alumna Eloise Janssen Pelton (BA ’65), in Arlington, Virginia, where they remain very involved in the community. He continues to write and pursue his fascination with space and Arthur C. Clarke. He’s currently working on a two-volume work on cosmic hazards and a book titled, “Arthur C. Clarke: The Oracle of Colombo.”

“It’s amazing, but many of the predictions Clarke made from the 1940s to 1960s have come true,” Pelton said. “His predictions included everything from geostationary satellites, GPS satellite navigation, the Internet, nuclear fusion, green energy systems, the use of iPads, and driverless cars.”

It seems Pelton, the Tulsa Rogers High School graduate who attended TU with help from the McClure Scholarship, lives by the words of his hero Arthur C. Clarke who said, “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.”

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• Caroline Abbott, BA Political Science ’97, JD ’00 • Betty Boyd, BS ‘45* • Opal Dargan, MS Reading ’71* • Dorothy DeWitty, MTA Education ’68* • Linda Frazier, MA Humanities ’80 • Eddie Faye Gates, MS History ’75 • Eleanor Hill, ’26* • Mary Ann Hille, BS Secondary Education & Social Studies ’65 • Fern Holland, JD ’96* • Kasey Hughart, BA Sociology ’12 • Moscelyne Larkin, HDFA ’91* • Lynn Jones, BS Political Science ’71, MS Sociology ’75 • Judy Kishner, BS Economics ’74, JD ’77 • Missy Kruse, BS Print/Broadcast Journalism ’71 • Dale McNamara, ’57 • Janet Pearson, BA Communications & Journalism ’75 • Dr. Wennette Pegues, MS Sociology ’75, EdD Education Administration ’78 • Dr. Barbara Santee, BA Sociology ’69, MS Sociology ’71 • Claudette Selph, MS Sociology ’72 • Jill Zink Tarbel, BA Psychology ’46* • Margarita Vega Trevino, BA Spanish ’94 • Patti Johnson Wilson, ’97* *Deceased.

MARGARITA VEGA TREVINO

EDDIE FAYE GATES

KASEY HUGHART

JILL TARBEL

FERN HOLLAND

DOROTHY DEWITTY

For more information about the 100 Women of Moxie, visit http://www.100womenoftulsa.org

Arts & Sciences Calendar Theatre Tickets Adult Senior Citizen (55+) Area Students TU Student, Staff and Faculty

Musical Play $20 $15 $15 $12 $15 $12 $6

$6

All events are free and open to the public unless stated otherwise.

TU alumni receive one free ticket; additional tickets are regular price.

2014

September

2 Exhibit: Spirit of Gilcrease. Sherman Smith Family Gallery, Zarrow Center. Exhibit through September 14

• Exhibit: Alexandre Hogue: An American

Tennessee Williams, directed by Steven Marzolf. 8 p.m., Chapman Theatre, Kendall Hall; Oct. 17, one free ticket for alumni; Oct. 19, 2 p.m.

17 Event: Homecoming Open House. Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences. 2 p.m.4 p.m., Chapman Hall

• Event: Pschology Open House. 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

18 TU Homecoming. Please visit tualumni.

Visionary – Paintings and Works on Paper. Gilcrease Museum. Exhibit through November 30

com for all Homecoming events.

4 Exhibit, Lecture & Reception: Ken Kewley:

• Event: School of Urban Education Open

Paintings, Drawings, and Collages, opening night with lecture by the artist, 5 p.m., Jerri Jones Lecture Hall - 211, Phillips Hall. Reception, 6 p.m., Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall.

Exhibit through September 25

23 Concert: Concerts with Commentary.

7:30 p.m., Meinig Recital Hall, Lorton Performance Center

5 Event: First Friday Reception. 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Zarrow Center

19 Exhibit: Hidden Room in the House Printmakers and the Art of Sublimation. Sherman Smith Family Gallery, Zarrow Center. Exhibit through November 2

October 2 Exhibit, Lecture & Reception: Crucible Exhibition, sculptural ceramics, opening night with lecture by Ken Baskin, Scott Meyer and Rich Hirsch, 5 p.m., Jerri Jones Lecture Hall 211, Phillips Hall. Reception 6 p.m., Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall. Exhibit through October 30

House. 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

24 Lecture: Noon Brown Bag Lunch Lecture

by Michelle Martin, associate professor of printmaking, “The Hidden Room in the House—Printmakers and the Art of Sublimation.” 12 p.m., Zarrow Center 27 Concert: TU Symphony Orchestra.

7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

29 Concert: 6th Annual Jazz Youth Concert.

10:00 a.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

30 Concert: TU Jazz Band. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center 31 Theatre: The War to End All Wars: From

Zarrow Center

the Trenches to the Home Front. 9:30-11 a.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

• Exhibit: A Teacher’s Legacy: Artwork by the

• Theatre: WomenWorks: At the End of the Line, a

3 Event: First Friday Reception. 6 p.m.-9 p.m.,

Students of Alexandre Hogue. Annex Gallery, Zarrow Center. Exhibit through November 2

9-12 Theatre: The Glass Menagerie, by

new play reading by Lauren Mitchell (BA ’13), directed by Michael Wright. 7 p.m., Theatre II, Kendall Hall

directed by Michael Wright. 7 p.m., Theatre II, Kendall Hall

6 Exhibit Part 1, Lecture & Reception: Dennis Oppenheim: Architecture/Not Architecture, Landscape/ Not Landscape, lecture by Kristen Olds. 5 p.m., Jerri Jones Lecture Hall - 211, Phillips Hall.

Reception, 6 p.m., Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall. Exhibit through December 5 7 Event: First Friday Reception. 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Zarrow Center

• Exhibit Part 2: Dennis Oppenheim: Architecture/ Not Architecture, Landscape/Not Landscape.

Sherman Smith Family Gallery, Zarrow Center. Exhibit through November 30

• Concert: Capella Chamber Singers Fall Concert. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

11 Event: Red Carpet Film Screening, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

13 Concert: Concerts with Commentary.

7:30 p.m., Meinig Recital Hall, Lorton Performance Center

14 Concert: TU Chorale. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

15 Concert: Cantus: All is Calm, Choregus.

8:00 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center. For tickets, contact mytickets.com 21 Concert: Opera Workshop Performance.

7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

December 4 Concert: TU Jazz Band. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

Tennessee Williams, directed by Steven Marzolf. 8 p.m., Chapman Theatre, Kendall Hall; Oct. 12, 2 p.m.

November

5 Event: First Friday Reception. 6 p.m.-9 p.m.,

13 Event: Fall Outdoor Film Festival,

1 Theatre: The War to End All Wars: Songs and

• Exhibit: Fire & Ice. Elegant, handcrafted art

Letters From the Trenches to the Home Front. 5 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center. Reception following

glass and contemporary glass works by Tulsa Glassblowing School’s finest students, staff, and guest artists. Sherman Smith Family Gallery, Zarrow Center. Exhibit through January 25

refreshments and exclusive lineup of student films presented by the Department of Film Studies. 7 p.m., behind Lorton Performance Center

16-19 Theatre: The Glass Menagerie, by

• Theatre: WomenWorks: At the End of the Line, a new play reading by Lauren Mitchell (BA ’13),

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Zarrow Center

7 Concert: Lessons & Carols. 7:30 p.m., Sharp Memorial Chapel

FOR MORE INFORMATION Department of Theatre: 918-631-2566 School of Art: 918-631-2739 School of Music: 918-631-2262 Lorton Performance Center: 918-631-5241 or http://Lortonpc.utulsa.edu Suzy Thompson: 918-631-3152

2015

January 2 Event: First Friday Reception. 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., Zarrow Center

15 Exhibit: Cathy Breslaw: Material Visions Installation and mixed media. Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall. Exhibit through February 19 22 Lecture & Reception: Cathy Breslaw: Material Visions, Installation and mixed media lecture by Cathy Breslaw. 5 p.m., Jerri Jones Lecture Hall, Phillips Hall 211. Reception, 6 p.m., Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall

30 Exhibit: Chris Ramsey: Meditations in Stillwater. Sherman Smith Family Gallery, Zarrow Center. Exhibit through March 29

30-31 Theatre: The Hour Glass, a new play reading by Lee Blessing, directed by Steven Marzolf. 8 p.m., Q & A with Mr. Blessing following reading.

Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

February 6 Event: First Friday Reception.

6 p.m.-9 p.m., Zarrow Center

9 Concert: TU Symphony Orchestra. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

12 Concert: Concerts with Commentary. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

19 Concert: TU Jazz Band.

7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

27 Event: Opera Workshop, 7:30 p.m., Meinig Recital Hall, Lorton Performance Center

23 Event: Spring Film Festival,

29 Theatre: Little Women (musical),

exclusive lineup of student films, juried competition, awards, and refreshments. 7 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, music by Jason Howland, directed by Machele Miller Dill. 2 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

26 Exhibit & Reception: Taryn

April

Singleton: Master of Fines Arts Thesis Exhibition. Reception, 5 p.m., Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall. Exhibit through March 19

3 Event: First Friday Reception.

6 p.m.-9 p.m., Zarrow Center

27 Concert: Béla Rózsa Memorial Concert. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

10 Concert: TU Chorale.

7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

March

15 Concert: Feagin Guest

2 Concert: TU Symphonic Winds & Wind Ensemble. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

6 Event: First Friday Reception.

6 p.m.-9 p.m., Zarrow Center 12 Concert: Concerts with

47th Annual Gussman Juried Student Exhibition. Reception and awards presentation, 5 p.m., Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall.

Exhibit through April 16

Symphony Orchestra. 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

28 Event: Second Annual Oklahoma Center for the Humanities Festival. For more information, visit http://www. utulsa.edu/sub-sites/oklahomahumanities-center/humanitiesfestival.aspx

May

Commentary, 7:30 p.m., Meinig Recital Hall, Lorton Performance Center

refreshments and exclusive lineup of senior student films presented by the Department of Film Studies.

7 p.m., Meinig Recital Hall

19 Concert: TU Chamber

9 Event: Commencement, 10 a.m.,

8 Event: Senior Film Night,

Donald W. Reynolds Center

June

Winds & Wind Ensemble.

7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

6 p.m.-9 p.m., Zarrow Center

23 Exhibit & Reception: Senior

16 Event: Second Annual

• Concert: TU Jazz Band.

7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

24-25 Theatre: Theatre X, two one-act plays, student produced

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27 Concert: President’s Concert, TU

16 Concert: Concerts with

Exhibition, Reception, 5 p.m., Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall. Exhibit through May 8

26-28 Theatre: Little Women (musical), book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, music

by Jason Howland, directed by Machele Miller Dill. 8 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

Chamber Singers. 7:30 p.m., Sharp Chapel

1 Event: First Friday Reception.

6 p.m.-9 p.m., Zarrow Center

20 Concert: TU Symphonic

26 Exhibit, Reception & Awards:

24-25 Concert: Capella

Artist, Paulo Oliveira, 7:30 p.m., Gussman Concert Hall, Lorton Performance Center

Players. 3 p.m., Meinig Recital Hall

Commentary. 7:30 p.m., Meinig Recital Hall, Lorton Performance Center

and directed. 7 p.m., Black Box, Chapman Theatre, Kendall Hall

5 Event: First Friday Reception.

Bloomsday Event. For more information, visit http://www. utulsa.edu/sub-sites/oklahomahumanities-center

An Alumna’s Journey from Intern to Policy Analyst Visit the Oklahoma Policy Institute’s website, and you’ll see Carly Putnam’s name — a lot. Putnam, a recent TU graduate (BA ’13), was hired this year to be a full-time policy analyst for the nonpartisan independent policy think tank.

“I started as an intern last June and never left,” Putnam says. “It’s been an incredible experience.”

Putnam was asked to stay on at the Oklahoma Policy Institute after her internship officially ended last year even though she would not graduate until December. She was hired before graduation and began full-time work as a policy analyst in January.

“I didn’t expect to be hired for the vacant policy analyst position because they preferred a candidate with three to five years of experience and a master’s degree,” Putnam explained. But the Kansas City native clearly excelled in her work as an intern, and she had significant experiences of her own.

Before interning with the Oklahoma Policy Institute, Putnam was the copy editor of The Collegian, TU’s campus newsletter and a participant in the National Endowment of Women (NEW) Leadership Institute. She also previously interned with Planned Parenthood.

“TU gave me so many advantages. I was able to study abroad for two semesters and create my own research projects both times. I learned how to think. My professors taught us not to assume things are necessarily true and to think critically before accepting something as fact,” she said.

Critical thinking, the ability to assimilate information quickly and the ability to write under deadlines are important skills in her job at Oklahoma Policy Institute, skills honed during her years at TU. During Putnam’s first year at the institute, she’s studied a range of policy topics and authored numerous articles and blogs including one titled, “SNAP Down: Reduced food benefits set to hit one in six Oklahomans.” The October 2013 study provided a timely look at the effect a scheduled reduction in food stamp benefits would have on lowincome Oklahomans.

Putnam’s primary focus area at the institute is healthcare, but her work also includes policies relating to poverty, inequality, race and gender. A research exercise about the effect the Affordable Care Act was having on employment helped her land the full-time position.

KARA KERR (BA ‘10)

LIBR & TU: Mapping Brain Pathology, Creating a Cure An Internet search for Kyle Simmons indicates he may be confused about where he works.

He’s either an assistant professor of psychology at TU or a principal investigator at Tulsa’s prestigious Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR). Fortunately, he’s both.

A unique partnership between LIBR and TU brought Simmons and several other researchers to Tulsa five years ago as LIBR’s carefully recruited charter-member research team. Simmons, a National Institutes of Health researcher at the time, was intrigued by the top-notch team and facilities being built at LIBR. The east Texas native was confident that those resources would support and advance his research into psychiatric disorders, especially as they relate to food.

“Honestly, no one had a clue what we were getting into,” he admitted. “But being handed the resources to help build a world-class research institute from the bottom up was irresistible.”

Since LIBR’s opening in 2009, TU has been a key partner in its success and development. LIBR, which was founded by The William K. Warren Foundation, is housed at the Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in Tulsa. Through its agreement with TU, LIBR researchers hold tenuretrack positions at TU, and TU graduate students are given unique research opportunities.

“It is vital that LIBR researchers have academic positions, and TU was the best choice,” Simmons said. “Institutionally, TU was nimble enough to jump on board without getting caught in years of red tape. This partnership has helped LIBR go from zero to 100 in just five years.”

The goal of LIBR is to expand knowledge about the underlying causes of mental disorders through multidisciplinary and multi-institutional approaches. By bringing together young, proven talent from diverse fields, the institute is making a mark in the research world. In its first five years, LIBR has conducted dozens of high-profile studies, including the effects of football concussions, promising research techniques for treating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorders, and research on the brain processes related to smoking.

Today, Simmons is working to discover and map brain links between psychiatric problems and eating disorders. The results could have a dramatic impact in how depression, anxiety and other diseases are treated in the future.

“The study results suggest different neural patterns between people who eat more when depressed versus people who just stop eating,” said Simmons. “Because the disease takes a different path through the brain in different people, it makes sense that differentiating their treatment could increase positive outcomes.”

To test his current hypothesis linking eating behavior and depression, Simmons places subjects in LIBR’s large magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to identify brain activity associated

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with depression, specifically, measuring the activity differences among the patients and the control group in how their brains respond to food stimuli.

“The data collected is so massive that each MRI machine needs its own server to process the information,” Simmons said. “A few years ago, each of these servers would have been considered a super computer.”

Simmons’ graduate assistant is a key part of his research. Kara Kerr (BA ’10), is a psychology doctoral student at TU whose research focuses on the area of the brain related to interoception, described as sensitivity to stimuli inside the body, such as hunger. Kerr said this area of the brain seems to be activated differently in people with anorexia nervosa, which can cause people to starve themselves.

“It seems obvious that people with anorexia don’t perceive and react to gastrointestinal sensations the way most people do,” Kerr said. “This has mostly been done with patient surveys, but our research is observing what is actually happening in the brain.”

Kerr has already been first author in one journal article related to her research (a tremendous achievement for a student), but said it is the potential for real-world impact that makes her research meaningful to her. She hopes her findings can help professionals develop better treatments and interventions for patients with anorexia.

This potential for real-world impact is nurtured by LIBR’s unique position. Located on the site of the Laureate Hospital, LIBR subjects are often recruited from the treatment facility three floors above the research center.

“I’ve been to some brain imagining research centers where subjects travel an hour or more to participate in testing,” Simmons said. “Here, they just take the elevator.”

Having access to subjects on-site is just one of the many unique features that make LIBR a world-class research institute. Access to “workhorse” TU graduate students and accessibility to university resources, combined with on-site technology like MRIs and interdisciplinary collaboration, also make LIBR unlike other research institutes. LIBR researchers hail from various disciplines, including psychology, physics, bioinformatics, and computational biology.

Last May, LIBR announced a new era of leadership under the direction of Martin Paulus, who joined the institute as president and scientific director. Previously, Paulus was a professor of psychiatry at the University of California-San Diego and director of Telemental Health at the San Diego Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center.

“I am looking forward to working with academic institutions and mental health leaders in Eugene the community to make LIBR a valuable resource Megyesy, Jr. for Tulsa,” Paulus said.

Research on ethnic pain receives $1.2 million grant A hypothesis that turned out to be wrong has resulted in a $1.2 million grant to psychology faculty at The University of Tulsa. It all began several years ago when Jamie Rhudy and Joanna Shadlow received a small grant from Psi Chi, the psychology honor society, to conduct an experimental pilot study on pain and ethnicity.

Rhudy, associate professor in psychology with an expertise in pain research, and Shadlow, applied assistant professor of psychology with expertise in Native American studies, expected the experiment to show Native Americans to be more sensitive to pain than Caucasians, as has been found in other minority groups such as African Americans and Hispanics.

What they found surprised them: Native Americans actually tolerate pain better than Caucasians.

“We didn’t expect it at all,” said Rhudy.

“Because the study was small, involving only 22 Native Americans and 20 Caucasians, the differences had to be really large for it to show up.”

The National Institutes of Health was interested enough in the surprise finding to fund a much larger four-year study to look at pain disparity involving 120 Native Americans and 120 Caucasians. Each study participant agrees to receive two days of pain testing that includes identifying at what level a stimulus becomes painful.

They also agree to see how long they can tolerate pain before it becomes too much.

“Oklahoma is uniquely poised for a study like this because of the high concentration of Native Americans living here. The questions we’re asking are important because Native Americans suffer

chronic pain at higher rates than others,” Shadlow said.

The study opens up a whole range of related questions, such as: Do genetics play a role in pain management? Do full-blood Native Americans manage pain better than those with only small amounts of Native American blood? Do acculturation and ethnic identity play a role in pain management?

“We’re recruiting healthy people for the study who don’t suffer chronic pain and exploring issues such as sleep, pain-coping strategies, stress levels, and genetics,” Rhudy said.

The study will follow each participant throughout the four-year study period, and perhaps beyond.

“Nothing like this has been done before. To experimentally explore the connection between ethnicity and the mechanisms of pain processing is new. There’s a lot of interest in this topic already, and we’ve just begun,” Shadlow said.

The study began in March with the help of four undergraduate and six graduate students from TU. OSU’s John Chaney, a psychologist with expertise in Native American studies, is a partner in the research. Shadlow and Rhudy expect up to 20 research papers to result from the study.

“We will be collecting so much rich data there will be many, many interesting questions to examine,” Rhudy said.

Alumnus’ stellar career and high honors began at TU

MONTE B. HAWKINS (BA ‘99)

A counterterrorism program led by a TU graduate recently received the nation’s highest honor among members of the intelligence community.

Monte B. Hawkins (BA ’99), group chief at the National Counterterrorism Center near Washington, D.C., and his team received the honor for efforts to assist the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security in their screening programs.

Hawkins’ career in intelligence has spanned more than a decade and includes posts with the Secret Service and the FBI. “I joined the Secret Service directly out of graduate school in the summer of 2001,” Hawkins

said. “9/11 happened while we were in training, and we were the second class to graduate after the attacks, so it was a very hectic time.”

Hawkins later transitioned to the FBI and then to the National Counterterrorism Center.

“During my early years with NCTC, I was selected for an assignment at the White House on the National Security Council. I was there from May 2008 until the end of 2011, working for both the Bush and Obama administrations,” said Hawkins. “I was the director for Identity Management and Biometrics Policy and managed policy issues related to the terrorist watch list, border screening, aviation screening and big data.”

Hawkins played a role in several high-profile policy reviews including the December 25, 2009 attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 and the Wikileaks dissemination of classified material.

Hawkins, who also teaches counterterrorism at the university level, sees the field as a new discipline borne out of the September 11th attacks, thus requiring a new approach to prepare those who are entering the field.

“Terrorism studies tends to focus on the post 9/11 world; how different agencies participate in the counterterrorism fight, legal issues, privacy issues, etc.,” he said. “Terrorism studies programs tend to be much more focused in D.C. and other locations with a large federal government and/or military presence.”

Hawkins’ stellar career and high honors are

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indicative of why he attended TU in the first place.

A native of Overland Park, Kan., most of his high-school class went on to the University of Kansas or Kansas State University. But Hawkins said he was looking for something more.

“I attended Tulsa for several reasons,” he said.

“I ran cross country and track in high school and was looking to do so in college. I was selected to be part of the Honors Program, and I knew I wanted to attend a small school: I wanted a different experience a little further from home.”

Many of the skills Hawkins uses in his work were honed during his time earning a sociology degree at TU. “Looking back, I think the small class sizes were a huge advantage for me, and something that is difficult to appreciate until you see how it can be at other universities,” he said. “Having a class of 15 to 30 people really allows for more individualized learning, conversations, debates and original thought that is much more difficult to foster in large classroom settings.”

“Small class sizes also provide a better environment for quiet and reserved students to participate,” he said. “I also think Tulsa’s focus on community engagement and volunteering was important in helping me grow as a person.

Of course, the faculty is top-notch and you are provided with an education worth more than your tuition.”

ALUMNI NEWS 1950s Jim Ruddle (BA ’57, MA ’61) longtime broadcast journalist, published his first novel, My Name is Luke in May 2014.

1960s William E. Dunstan III (MA ’66) announced the publication of his three-book series, Adventures of a Southern Boyhood.

1970s Peter Bernhardt (BS ’73, JD ’76) keeps busy in retirement in Sedona, Ariz. He has published two novels: The Stasi File: Opera and Espionage — A Deadly Combination, an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter Finalist; and its sequel, Kiss of the Shaman’s Daughter. The Stasi File has been published in German, Die Stasi-Akte. Details on these and his upcoming third novel, “Red Romeo”, are on his website, http://sedonaauthor.com Award-winning novelist Donis Casey (BS ’70) released her latest Oklahoma Historical mystery, Hell with the Lid Blown Off, in June.

Gilbert O. Sanders (EdD ’74) was awarded the American Psychological Foundation’s “Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Practice of Psychology” at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention in Washington, D.C. in August 2013. “Gilbert O. Sanders has served as the point person for developing integrated programs of psychology and medicine in Vietnam, Alaska, California, and Germany. His leadership in psychotherapy and psychopharmacology earned him the rank of captain, the highest rank authorized for psychologists in the U.S. Public Health Service. His contributions in the U.S. Public Health Service, in the military, and as a civilian have improved the fitness for duty of government personnel, reduced costs, and improved health care for the military and their families. His lifetime of achievement in the practice of psychology has served as a model for health care services for the U.S. civilian population.”

Ronda Kasl (BA ’78), a specialist in the art of Spain and Colonial Latin America, began work on July 1 as a curator in the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

1980s David Reinhart (BS ’80) published his first novel, a mystery called Osprey Point. The book is currently available as a paperback and eBook at Lulu.com. It will also be available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Arturo Herrera (BFA ’82), internationally acclaimed collage artist, returned to Tulsa to give a lecture sponsored by the School of Art and Philbrook Museum. His message to students: “All artists make mistakes; don’t be afraid of them and don’t fear taking risks.”

Jean Mermoud Mrasek (BA ’83, MA ’94) was named National Pan-Hellenic Council president in the fall of 2013.

Becca Wilson (BM ’87) was named in “Women Changing the World of Real Estate Management” by the National Institute of Real Estate Management.

Leadership @ Infosys, recently left India, where he ran the Infosys Leadership Institute globally, and returned to Silicon Valley to start his own leadership consulting company.

Chad Bonham (BA ’93) released his new book, Faith in the Fast Lane: How NASCAR Found Jesus, on January 15, 2014.

Chris Mann (BA ’94) describes himself as a behind-the- scenes TV author, storyteller, entertainment and wellness interviewer, podcaster, art director and writer-producer. Chris, who wrote Come and Knock on Our Door about the sitcom, Three’s Company, has covered actors, athletes, artists, television controversy, pop culture, health, fitness and spirituality as a freelance writer for the LA Times, TV Guide, Emmy, Radar and various lifestyle magazines. He is the editor/founder of the Retroality.TV, which can be found at http:// retroalitytv.blogspot.com/.

Hugh Robert (BA ’98, JD ’08) was elected worthy grand master of Kappa Sigma in July 2013.

2000s Jennifer Croft (BA ’01) co-launched The Buenos Aires Review, an online literary journal that takes a new approach to literature and culture resulting in a beautifully curated site www.buenosairesreview.org.

John Bryant (BFA ’02, MFA ’14) was awarded solo exhibitions at TAC Gallery and Living Arts Art Gallery, both in Tulsa, Okla.

SIDNEY CHAPON (BA ‘92)

1990s Sidney Chapon (BA ’92) was named vice president of Leo Burnett Worldwide, Chicago.

Matthew Barney (MA ’93, PhD ’96), author of

Julie Ward (BA ’05) was hired as an assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Oklahoma. From TU, Ward went on to earn an MA in Spanish at the University of Kansas, and then completed her doctorate at UC-Berkeley. While she was finishing her dissertation, she taught for a while at the Universidad Autónoma de México, that country’s largest university and still one of its best.

Nick Carnes (BA ’06) is assistant professor of public policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. His book, White-Collar Government: the Hidden Role of Class in Economic Policy Making,

TU Distinguished Alumnus 2014, Michael D. Graves (BS ’67, MA ’69) Michael Graves (BA ’67, MA ’69) is a Renaissance man. His interests vary wildly, from his career in the courtroom and his expertise in environmental issues to his passion for ballet and pursuit of preparing the perfect cassoulet.

Like many people who find themselves drawn to a wide variety of activities, Graves grew up in a family that embraced higher education. His father, Roy William Graves Jr., taught geology at The University of Tulsa after leaving the U.S. Air Force and working for Chevron. His mother, Kay Graves, served as a secretary to two TU presidents.

“Some of my most enduring TU memories have to do with my participation on the team that represented TU on the GE College Bowl TV quiz game. Dr. Rod Jones was our trainer, and he did a great job preparing us. After he retired, he became

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a docent at Gilcrease Museum, and I used to see him several times a year. I have the GE College Bowl participation medal in my office, and eventually I plan to give it to the Alumni Association Heritage Committee. Participating in that process gave me a life-long interest in arcane subjects, and since then I am a terror at Trivial Pursuit,” he said.

“I am a firm believer in the value of an oldfashioned liberal arts education,” he said. “At The University of Tulsa, I never had a class with more than 24 students. I never had a class that was not taught by a Ph.D.” Graves never lost touch with TU. He has served in several capacities with the Alumni Association, including president; he was a member of the Golden Hurricane Club, and is on the Henry Kendall College of Arts & Sciences Board of Visitors.

How Javier Bardem became a Jellyfish A University of Tulsa alumnus’ chance meeting with veteran film actor Javier Bardem recently culminated in a short film that won the “Okie Short Award” at the 2013 deadCenter Film Festival in Oklahoma City.

Daniel Tarr (BA ’10) met Bardem while serving as an intern on the Bartlesville-based film To The Wonder, directed by Terence Malick and starring Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams and Bardem.

“They asked me to be Javier Bardem’s driver for a couple of days because he didn’t have a license or an assistant,” said Tarr, who now lives in Austin. “We hit it off, and I asked him if he wanted me to stay with him while he filmed for the next two weeks. He said yes. So I ended up being Javier’s assistant for the remainder of the project.”

Tarr and Bardem became friends, and Tarr asked if Bardem might ever want to collaborate with him on a film project. Again, Bardem said yes.

“I was so young that I didn’t know any better than to just say ‘why not?’ and just try and see what comes of it,” Tarr said.

A short time later, Tarr and his colleague and fellow TU alumnus, Adam Conners (BA ‘10), developed a script from an article they read

on Turritopsis dohrnii, popularly known as the immortal jellyfish, a species of jellyfish that can regenerate itself physically when it becomes old or sick and in theory, could live thousands of years through that process.

The short film that came from Tarr’s collaboration with Conners, Sherman and Pacifico, centers on a jellyfish and his relationship with a homebound man. Bardem agreed to do a voiceover for the film, but didn’t realize he would be the voice of “Pacifico,” the immortal jellyfish.

“He had no idea we were going to have him play a jellyfish until I went to Los Angeles to shoot the voiceover with him. The day before I said, ‘OK we have this idea. It’s pretty crazy, but we want you to play an immortal jellyfish,’” Tarr said.

“He was confused at first, but then I explained the story to him and let it soak in while he read the script overnight. When I came to his house the next day, he said he loved it and was ready to do it.”

The two actually did two voiceover sessions — one in Los Angeles and one in Spain a couple of months later.

Tarr said it was a great experience.

“The short film is always a great calling card for a future project,” he said. “Adam and I are

was published last November by the University of Chicago Press. Nick, who also writes for the Washington Post, can be followed at @Nick_Carnes_ on Twitter.

Patrick Creedon (BS ’14) is starting the Ph.D. program in quantitative psychology at OSU in the fall of 2014.

Erin Abercrombie (BS ’07, BA ’07) works as a market risk manager at Koch Supply and Trading in Houston. As a market risk manager for crude and products trading, Erin seeks to quantify the daily impact of unexpected economic and political events on the company’s portfolio of commodities.

2010s Claire Edwards (BA ’10) edited Sterlin Harjo’s documentary, This May Be the Last Time, which was accepted into the Sundance Film Festival.

Ellen L. Terry (MA ’10) and Shreela Palit (BS ’11, MS ’14) attended the European Pain School (EPS) in Siena, Italy. The annual weeklong program invites 30 pain investigators from around the world to learn about current research in pain modulation and processing. Shreela and Ellen connected with fellow peers, conducted an oral PowerPoint presentation on their research and received direct mentorship from renowned international pain researchers.

Kaylor Carlton, (BS ’11) is the lead speechlanguage pathologist at Genesis Rehabilitation Site located at Wood Manor in Claremore, Okla.

Cara Dublin (BA ’13) has a Fulbright Award at the University of Leicester, where she is working on her masters degree.

Nicole Ellis (MS ’13) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist in Putnam City Public Schools.

Laura Langlois (BFA ’13) was accepted to the University of San Francisco’s graduate program in museum studies and management.

Sophia Olsen, (MS ’13) is the new chairwoman of the Bartlesville Public School speech pathology department.

Natalie Slater (MFA ’13) received an Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Professional Basics grant.

Brittany Dunn (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Owasso Public Schools.

Mary Carol Franko (BFA ’14) was hired by Hillcrest Healthcare System in their web and marketing department.

able to have a very unique asset and allow people to enjoy the film at the same time. People have told me it was very uplifting to them.”

The nature of the modern film industry has led Tarr to assess the value of his experience in the TU film program.

“The way the modern film industry works is that you have to be able to wear several hats and at the same time be a specialist,” he said. “The Tulsa film program was small enough and close enough that we were all able to know each other’s strengths. Adam and I found each other through that program. I still keep in touch with nearly every film student. It’s been a very valuable asset.”

Sherman and Pacifico can be seen online at studios.amazon.com.

a speech-language pathologist with Tulsa Public Schools.

Jill Graves (BFA ’14) was hired by Byers Creative as graphic designer.

Kenyon Taylor (BS ’14), who is interested in both free-lance journalism and jewelry design, is building her small online business, Prairie Sky Designs.

Christian Green (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Muskogee Public Schools.

Mallory Turner (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with a private practice in Arkansas.

Julie Harper (MS ’14) has accepted a job as speech-language pathologist with Genesis Rehabilitation.

Jennie Warren (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Broken Arrow Public Schools.

Mary Iapalucci (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Tulsa Public Schools.

Laurie Waters (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Union Public Schools.

James “Trey” Johnston (BA ’14) received a Fulbright Award to teach abroad in Portugal.

Johnston majored in Spanish and French as well as a student-designed major in linguistics, supervised by Prof. Eduardo Faingold. Johnston also received the Juan L. Alborg Spanish Literature Award and the Freeland Award.

Sarah Shelby Sparks (BFA ’12) was hired by Sudden Impact Marketing in Columbus, Ohio, as the firm’s newest account coordinator.

Jessica Kadavy (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Jenks Public Schools.

Megan Postelwait (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Home Therapy Resources in Tulsa.

Jessica Provencher (BA ’14) was accepted into the graduate school at Oklahoma State University, with an assistantship, where she will be pursuing an M.A. degree in art history.

Kendal Rader (MS ’14) has accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist with Bixby Public Schools.

Sarah Roberts (MS ’14) has accepted a job as

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IN MEMORIAM Richard Gwartney (BFA ’75) was memorialized in a special dedication ceremony when Louisiana State University of Alexandria renamed its on-campus theatre in honor of the beloved associate professor. Gwartney passed away in November 2011 after a long and notable career at LSU. Andy B. Zaller (EdD ’87), retired chair of the Fine Arts Department at Booker T. Washington High School and well known Oklahoma artist, died December 29, 2013 in Tulsa. His art has been displayed throughout Tulsa including the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Circle Cinema, Tulsa Community College and the Oklahoma State University-Tulsa campus. He also exhibited in Kansas, New York and Tennessee. He published three books of photography and provided the narrative for a fourth book of photography documenting the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921.

‘When Darwin came to America’ earns Fuller a Guggenheim Chapman Professor of English Randy Fuller had a productive summer. He received the single American Literary fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and a stipend from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“Both awards are for my book project, tentatively titled, ‘When Darwin Came to America,’ which is under contract with Viking Press and will come out sometime in 2016,” said Fuller.

“The book traces a single copy of Darwin’s Origin of Species as it was encountered and read by five intellectuals including Asa Gray, the Harvard botanist and promoter of Darwinian ideas; Charles Loring Brace, the

founder of the so-called Orphan Trains; Franklin Sanborn, a member of the ‘Secret Six,’ who funded John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry; the transcendentalist Bronson Alcott; and Henry David Thoreau.”

The prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships are often described as mid-career awards for those who have already demonstrated exceptional scholarly achievement or creative ability in the arts. This year was the 90th annual competition.

Chosen from almost 3,000 applicants from the U.S. and Canada, 177 fellowships (including one joint fellowship) were awarded to a diverse group of 178 scholars, artists, and scientists this year.

“I was awarded the only Guggenheim Fellowship in American literary scholarship this year,”

Fuller said. “It will enable me to concentrate on my writing for the coming academic year.”

The National Endowment for the Humanities summer stipend allowed Fuller to pursue research this summer. Supported by the stipend, Fuller traveled to New York and Boston/Cambridge to read unpublished diaries, manuscripts, and other documents by those featured in his book. Each trip lasted about a week, much of which Fuller spent in libraries.

Both of these competitive awards have an application process that involves letters of recommendation, writing samples, and plans of work. A panel of expert judges in each field selects the awardees for both competitions.

FACULTY NEWS FACULTY NOTES Jennifer L. Airey (English) received the College Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Miriam Belmaker (anthropology) has been invited to join the BethSaida consortium, which is excavating an important site in Israel dating from the Bronze Age through the time of the Crusades.

She is involved in research there and will develop a TU archaeological field school in Israel.

Joseph “Brad” Bradley (history) received a fellowship at the Hoover Institution at Stanford for the fall and a Fulbright at the University of Warsaw for spring 2015.

Mark Brewin (communications) authored the chapter, “The public sphere in a networked age: Rethinking the relations between self, media, and political community” in (E. Comas, J. Cuenca, K. Zilles, Eds.) Life Without Media. New York, Bern, Berlin: Peter Lang. 2013.

Bradley Brummel (psychology) was featured during a Human Relations Podcast and discussed his research on workplace mindfulness.

Lisa Cromer (psychology) was named Most Valuable Professor twice in one year (for both soccer & tennis).

Joanne L. Davis (psychology) received the Outstanding Teacher Award.

Matthew Drever (religion), authored the book: Image, Identity and the Forming of the Augustinian Soul (Oxford UP).

Lars Engle (English) coauthored Studying Shakespeare’s Contemporaries, which was released in February 2014.

Dan Farnum (art) received the Best in Show award at Midwest Contemporary, Lillstreet Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. June 7, 2013. The selected photograph was chosen from 800 images.

Whitney Forsyth (art) was awarded Best in Show for her installation Windward in Vision Makers 2013.

Thomas Foster (anthropology) was awarded a State Historic Preservation Officer’s Citation of Merit for the work his graduate “Cultural Resource Management” class did on preserving Tulsa neighborhoods.

Al Harkness (psychology) and John McNulty’s (psychology) work was noted in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the DSM-5.

The new manual acknowledges their personality trait model strongly resembles the Personality Psychopathology—Five (PSY-5) model of personality.

Don Henry (anthropology) just had a book published, Sands of Time: Desert Neolithic Settlement of Ayn Abu Nukhayla, which involved 23 collaborators from 12 countries among whom were nine former TU students (coauthors of some chapters).

Aaron Higgins (art) was named faculty fellow of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities.

Joli Jensen (communications) coauthored Media In Society (with Richard Campbell and Douglas Gomery), an upper division undergraduate textbook, Bedford/ St. Martin’s Press, 2013. Jensen also authored chapters in two books: Sweet Dreams: The Life and Times of Patsy Cline, edited by Warren Hofstra; and Popular Music Fandom: Identities, Roles and Practices, edited by Mark Duffett.

Mark Lewis (art) received several awards, including Juror’s Award at “Oh Tulsa,” Grand Award at the 55th annual Delta Exhibition, and Juror’s Award at Stanley Lewis: Drawing from Perception VII. Michelle Martin (art) was elected to serve as treasurer of Southern Graphics International, an international professional organization of printmakers.

She also received the BrackettKrennerich Purchase Award at the Delta National Small Prints Exhibition.

Elana Newman (psychology) was featured throughout the video series and guidebook of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign.

Newman also co-organized a conference, Advancing the Science of Education, Training and Practice in Trauma, which hosted 60 national experts in psychology, social work and psychiatry and presented the basic knowledge, skill set and methods needed to effectively treat patients. The conference was held in April at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

Ben Peters (communications) is organizing the Digital Keywords

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Workshop, a boutique scholarly forum hosted by The University of Tulsa. Peters was also named faculty fellow for the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, 2014-2015.

Jillian Phillips (communications disorders) partnered with Eastern Oklahoma Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) to start ENT examinations at TU’s Speech and Hearing Clinic beginning January 2014. Once a month, an ENT physician will visit TU to see any patients with referrals made by TU and other community service providers. This is the only service of its kind in the community.

Phillips also coordinated with hearing aid companies to provide aids and services to clinic patients.

Kim Powers (theatre) designed scenery and built puppets for Abex Puppetrie’s FLIGHT: A Crane’s Story with Heather Henson, Jim Henson’s daughter.

Karl Pollin (languages) published Alfred Jarry: l’ experimentation du singulier. Rodopi, 2013.

Ryan Saylor (political science) authored the book, State Building in Boom Times: Commodities and Coalitions in Latin American and Africa. Oxford University Press, 2014.

Jessica Scott (communications disorders) was named the Most Valuable Professor by the TU Women’s Basketball Team. Scott also founded the TU Free Reading Clinic for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students.

Tom Stout (music) was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Educators Association Hall of Fame.

RETIREMENT Judy O. Berry, chair of the Department of Psychology, retired December 31, 2013. She earned her doctorate from TU in 1982 and was named Ms. Homecoming in 2003. The psychology department honored Berry’s retirement by establishing an Endowed Lecture Series: “Risk and Resilience in Children and Families.” To learn more about how you can help, contact suzy-thompson@ utulsa.edu.

Peter Stromberg (anthropology) published a chapter entitled “The Role of Language in Religious Change and Personal Transformation” in The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion.

David Tingey (languages) has a book chapter currently in press: “Seductive and Destructive: Argentina in Gabriele Reuter’s Kolonistenvolk” in Sophie Discovers Amerika: German-Speaking Women Write the New World.

Ed. by Michelle James and Robert McFarland. Camden House, 2014.

M. Teresa Valero (director of TU’s School of Art) received the 2013 Governor’s Arts in Education Award from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin.

Huiwen Zhang (languages) was awarded placement at the 2013 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, “The Centrality of Translation to the Humanities: New Interdisciplinary Scholarship,” at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

NEW FULL-TIME FACULTY Briggs Buchanan, Assistant Professor of Anthropology

David Fisher, Assistant Professor of Psychology Gaurav Kampani, Assistant Professor of Political Science Peggy Lisenbee, Assistant Professor of Education (Urban Education) Travis Lowe, Assistant Professor of Sociology PROMOTIONS Associate Dean Teresa Reed, Music Full Professor Jeff Hockett, Political Science Al Harkness, Psychology Rob Tett, Psychology Bruce Willis, Languages Associate Professor with Tenure Jennifer Airey, English Jon Arnold, History Brad Brummel, Psychology Josh Corngold, Educational Studies Matthew Drever, PhilosophyReligion Avi Mintz, Educational Studies Anu Narayan, Psychology Karl Pollin, Languages Ryan Saylor, Political Science

Visiting faculty Megan Ballew, pschology Clare Haynes, Rita & William H. Bell Visiting Professor of Anglican and Ecuminical Studies (Spring 2014 and 2015) Bruce MacQueen, languages in comparative literature IN MEMORIAM Corinna Del Greco Lobner passed away May 15, 2014. She completed her doctorate at The University of Tulsa and went on to teach in the mid-1980s, during TU’s push to expand its foreign language program. Lobner’s daughter, Gloria Standeford, said Lobner loved the work adding that “her students were her life.” Lobner retired from TU in the late 1990s.

Edward S. Dumit, associate professor emeritus of communication, died June 20, 2014 at the age of 84. Dubbed the “Voice of The University of Tulsa,” he announced approximately 30,000 graduates’ names for 39 years at TU’s commencements. Dumit taught broadcasting courses and was manager, program director, and arts producer of public radio station KWGS for 38 years. Among his many accolades were the Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Award (1993), the Kathleen P. Westby Lifetime Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts from the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa (1990), and TU’s Mr. Homecoming (1986). He coauthored a standard broadcast text, The Announcer’s Handbook, with TU’s late President

Emeritus Ben Henneke. From 1996 until 2010, Dumit volunteered three mornings a week reading the Tulsa World for the state of Oklahoma’s Older Blind Program.

Preceding that he recorded novels and textbooks for the Recording Volunteers of Tulsa from the 1950s until 1996. At the time of his passing, Dumit was a board member of Chamber Music Tulsa and had served on the boards of Theater Tulsa and the Tulsa Alliance for Classical Theater. He was an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa and an active member of the church’s History and Archives committee.

Laven Sowell, associate professor and director of choral activities (1970-1991) and Tulsa Opera chorus master (1962-1994), died November 2, 2013.

Applied Assistant Professor Jolly Meadows, Urban Education

STUDENT NEWS The Department of Film Studies presented the Sixth Annual Spring Film Festival on February 24, 2014.

Film Studies students were visited by Liz Tenney, a writer for the TV show Seventh Heaven; and Alex Smith, a Texas filmmaker, who presented his new feature, Winter in the Blood.

In April 2014, the TU Ad Program team competed against 20 other regional universities at the National Student Advertising Competition in Austin, Tex. The TU team won first place with the best promotion for their client, Mary Kay Cosmetics; and placed two — Oriana Anderson (advertising minor) and Carolyn Yoder (communications) — out of three in the “best presenter” category. Other members of the team included Carly Boatwright (communications), video tech Brandon Baney (film studies), Charlie Copa (communication)

and first alternate Kylie Martineau (communication).

Students from the School of Art and the Department of Communication were recognized for their advertising and design skills at the 47th Annual Addy Awards on February 22. The event, hosted by the American Advertising Federation of Tulsa, celebrates the highest standards of creativity in advertising.

Members of the NASC-Glidden campaign team were Olivia Coye, Matt Downing, Spencer Everett, Jill Graves, Kelly Hill, Kayla Koch, Caroline Kohlagen, Jessica Medina, Lacey Middlebrooks, Colle Murch, Austin Parker, Sarah Powell, Taylor Sides, Ellen Taylor, and Rachel Wells. The team received the Student Citation of Excellence in the following divisions: Sales Promotion, Collateral Material, Elements of Advertising, Visual

Cinematography and Integrated Campaigns Consumer. Jill Graves received the Student Citation of Excellence in the Visual Logo division for the Nonprofit Insurance Alliance Group Campaign as well as a Student Addy in the Integrated Campaigns Consumer division for The Campbell Hotel Campaign.

Matthew Downing and Ellen Taylor received the Student Citation of Excellence in the Television (Single) division for the Custom Services Heating and Air Campaign.

Bailey Adkinson (sociology and languages) was awarded a Fulbright Grant to teach in Argentina.

Doctoral student Carlos Acosta Ponce (English) presented “Observatis Ipsos Custodet: Narrative Components in Alan Moore’s Watchmen and their Adaptation into Film” at the American Culture Association in March 2013.

John Amalong (political science) has been accepted at Texas A & M University in Corpus Christi to pursue a masters degree in public administration.

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Jordy Albert (economics) received the 2014 Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State Competition undergraduate division award.

Clarey Allen and Abby Greenhaw were named the outstanding speech-language pathology seniors.

Adriann Anderson (art) and Jessica Provencher (art) had papers accepted at the Oklahoma Conference of Art Historians,

which was held at Oklahoma State University this year.

Bailey Ardies (film studies) attended the Cannes Film Festival as a student intern sponsored by The American Pavilion Worldwide Student Programs. More than 700 students applied and only 30 percent were accepted.

at the copper and gold mining company Freeport McMoRan in Globe, Ariz.

Isaiah Feken (music) was named National Association of Teachers of Singing, 2nd place winner.

Taylor Conley (music) received the Presser Foundation Scholarship Award, presented to the School of Music outstanding junior music major.

Forrest Farjadian (political science, language) and J. Christopher Proctor (political science, history, economics) were selected by the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa as writing interns for the spring 2014 semester. Each will write at least six articles for the online version of The Key Reporter, the honor society’s online source for student and alumni news.

William Brierre (political science) interned this summer in Washington, D.C. with U.S. Senator James Inhofe.

Ashley Brown (anthropology) participated in an international conference in summer 2013 and presented her work on climate change that occurred in the Levant 10,000 years ago. Following her research, she has been contacted by major researchers in the field for future collaboration and data exchange as well as possible publication.

Graduate art students John Bryant, Kyle Blair, Libby Williams, Megan Curtis and Taryn Singleton were selected for inclusion in the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Studio Tour.

Sociology students Deanna Christianson and McKenna LeClear have been selected for the American Sociological Association Honors Program for Undergraduates, August 2014.

Carly Cockman (political science) has accepted an internship

Forrest Farjadian (political science, language) completed a study-abroad semester at the University of Havana in Cuba.

Doctoral student Katherine Cunningham (psychology) was featured in Urban Tulsa this past spring in a story about her pre-candidacy research.

Hayley Fuller (communications disorders) received the Parriott Scholarship for her studies at TU for the 2013-2014 academic year. This scholarship has been renewed for the 2014-2015 year.

Noren Davison (languages) received the Diana Dinar Award for Hebrew.

The TU Jazz Band won 1st place at the 43rd Annual Wichita National Jazz Festival (invitational). Band members include music students Greg Fallis, Nicholas Foster, Paul Humphrey, Bobby Kitchen and Sarah Richardson.

Yvette Guereca (psychology) was selected as a European Pain School Scholar. She will attend a week-long seminar in Italy where she will be able to interact with pain experts from around the world.

Nikki Hager (political science) completed her semester abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She wrote a 40-page independent study project in Spanish that focused upon the “Dólar Blue” or black market dollar in Argentina and the policies that led to the widespread practice of dollar hoarding. This summer she was a research associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington, D.C. Languages students Marina Haver and Paige Primovic each received Hispanic American Foundation of Tulsa Paul L. & Marilee Anderson Spanish Honor Award.

Christian Hennigan (languages, economics, philosophy and religion) received the Freeland Award and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Scott Grove (urban education) received the Best in Session award at the TU Student Research Colloquium.

Emma Hubbard (communications disorders) was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and will begin a masters program in speech-language pathology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Abigail Gschwend (music) won the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association statewide Collegiate Piano Competition.

Languages students Luke Jaskowiak and Morgan Richardson received the Anne S. Woolslayer Award in Russian.

From Communism to Capitalism: Grad Studies Polish Economics Visiting 35 cities in 17 nations during the course of one semester would be daunting for even the most energetic traveler. But for triple major J. Christopher Proctor (BS ’14), the trek was an exciting opportunity to further his academic interests while reconnecting with his ancestral heritage.

The recent TU graduate from McKinney, Texas, traveled to Warsaw, Poland, in the spring of 2013 for a semester-long study abroad experience. Majoring in economics, history and political science made him an ideal candidate for the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Pioneer Grant. Proctor was one of only eight participants worldwide (one of two from the U.S.) to receive a full scholarship to the program.“Going to Poland was productive for me academically because I developed my interest in transition economics,” said Proctor, who defined the topic as the study of the transition of economies from communist to capitalist systems.

“Living in Warsaw, I saw the results of that transition firsthand, and I heard the stories of the communist

days and of the years of transition.”

Proctor traveled with eight other American CIEE scholars, five of whom were of Polish ethnicity and spoke the language. The program was based at the Warsaw School of Economics, the oldest economics school in Poland and one of the top schools in the nation. Classes were through the CIEE program provider and taught by Polish faculty. He also attended classes at the School of Economics with other international and Polish students.

Courses covered everything from Polish society and politics to foreign policy of Poland.

When not in class, Proctor spent time exploring Poland and Europe.

In addition to pre-organized study trips with CIEE, Proctor would travel with friends during breaks and weekends.“I visited Bosnia and Serbia where the transition from communism was not as successful as Poland’s,” Proctor said.

Back at home, Proctor was able to apply the lessons he learned abroad to his senior project, which compared the transitions of Poland and Ukraine. He presented his work at the annual TU Research Collo-

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quium, for which he was awarded “Best in Session” for social sciences.

Proctor’s interest in Poland was not solely academic. His grandfather is half Polish, and he grew up hearing many stories about his ancestral home. “It was a really great experience to see and live in the country where many of my ancestors lived before coming to America,” said Proctor. “I traveled to Białystok, where my family had roots. My return to Poland was an exciting event for my entire extended family.”

Proctor plans to study political economy at Kingston University in London as part of an interinstitutional master’s program — the Economic Policies in the Age of Globalization — hosted by the European Union.

Proctor says he will continue to develop the ideas he came across while abroad and pursue further research into transition economics.

“Every student should go abroad. No excuses,” said Proctor.

“I achieved my goals by studying abroad, and I have a much better understanding of Poland, the Polish people, Polish history and the Polish economy.”

Edith Jordan (political science) has been accepted at the University of Colorado in Denver, entering a joint degree program leading to masters of public health and masters of public administration degrees.

Erika Kessler (languages) was accepted by Teach for China and received the Chinese Honor Award.

Namik Kirlic (psychology) presented “Emerging Knowledge of Anxiety: Understanding the Neural Mechanisms and Clinical Implications” at the 19th annual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium.

McKenna LeClear (sociology) was awarded Best Paper in Study Abroad Session at the TU Student Research Colloquium.

Psychology students Ashley Louie, Forrest Rice and Chase Winterberg formed a sanctioned chapter of The American Psychological Association’s Division 19, Military Psychology.

Michael Mancini (urban education) was elected TU Student Association president.

Spencer McCoy (English) was selected to receive a Newman Young Poet’s Award for his entry of a classical Chinese poem.

Emily Neldon (communications disorders) was awarded the Henneke Scholarship for her studies at TU for the 2013-2014 academic year. This scholarship has been renewed for the 2014-2015 year.

Michael Paraskevas (music, film studies) was accepted into the master’s program at the Seattle Film Institute Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program.

Helen Peterson (religion and philosophy) received the Freeland Award for Philosophy.

J. Christopher Proctor (political science, history, and economics) was awarded the European Union’s Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for his master’s study in global economics. He also received the Best in Session award at the TU Research Symposium.

Morgan Richardson (languages) is studying in the CIEE program in St. Petersburg. She was also selected to participate in the RussianAmerican Youth Summit.

Valarie Roarty (economics) was named a TU Top 10 Senior.

Shannon Robinson (education) attended the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain’s summer school program in 2013 as well as the Spencer Foundation Philosophy of Education Summer Institute.

Jill Sandberg (urban education) received the Best in Session Award at the TU Student Research Colloquium.

Carly Schmidt (political science) will be attending the University of Northern Arizona in fall 2014 pursuing a masters degree in environmental sciences and policy.

She previously studied abroad in Spain.

Jennifer Steere (political science) accepted an internship in Tulsa with Catholic Charities working on immigration issues and immigration law.

Haley Stritzel (sociology) received the National Science Foundation/Research Experiences for Undergraduates fellowship for Summer 2014 at the University of Texas-Austin.

Magdalena Sudibjo (economics) was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Melanie Sweeney (film studies) is currently a production supervisor for the cooking show, The Pioneer Woman. She also worked on the short film, Sherman and Pacifico.

Andrew Taylor (political science) was accepted into the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University to pursue a masters in international affairs. He plans to focus upon the conflict and development field.

Maggie Turek (political science) was awarded a Jayhawk Scholarship to attend the University of Kansas School of Law. Grace Weiderhaft (languages) received the German American Society of Tulsa German Honor Award.

Lauren West (history) received the U.S. State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship.

Megan White (communications disorders) studied the similar patterns in human and dolphin communication during a summer research program in Bimini, the Bahamas.

Randall Don Young (languages) received the Charles E. Norman Award for Latin.

5th Graders make Blue Dolphins Dance It’s not unusual for fifth graders to spend an hour a day watching animated programs. But last spring, a group of fifth graders spent an hour a day actually producing an animated film based on a book they were reading at school.

Cameron Still, a Tulsa native and graphic arts senior, worked with alumna Libby Sublett’s (BME ’08) fifth grade art class at Tulsa’s Chouteau Elementary to create the animated film, Island of the Blue Dolphins: A Story Animated. The endeavor was Still’s Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge (TURC) project.

“While meeting with my TURC faculty mentor, M. Teresa Valero, we developed the idea,” Still said. “She already had a relationship with Libby and had done other projects at Chouteau, so she was able to make those connections.”

Valero and Still worked together to develop the research proposal and successfully sought a TURC grant to fund the effort. Tulsa Public Schools Fine Arts Director Ann Tomlins acquired the software needed at the school.

Once the project was approved, Still worked with two dozen fifth graders during their daily art period. He taught them to use the graphic design program, Illustrator, then guided them as they created an animated short story based on the book Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.

The Newberry Award-winning book tells the story of Karana, a Native American girl stranded alone for years on an island.

“I was surprised at how quickly the students learned the software, which can be confusing for college students,” Still said. “They approached the project with enthusiasm and courage, which made my job easy.”

The five-minute video featured voice-overs by the students and premiered at a reception held for the group in Phillips Hall last May. The project has since been uploaded to YouTube. (You can find the students’ finished video by googling its title, Island of the Blue Dolphins: A Story Animated.)

Still participated in TURC, a program that allows TU undergraduates to work with a faculty mentor to create scholarly works. A fundamental precept of TURC is giving back to the community through service, something Still was certainly able to accomplish in his work with the youngsters.

“I hope the students feel gratified by the finished product and encouraged to keep creating in the future,” Still said. “Watching the students’ progress throughout the project was a very rewarding experience for me.”

HENRY KENDALL COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES BOARD OF VISITORS 2013-2014 FIRST ROW: Melissa Weiss, Barbara Blackburn, Harriet Derrevere ‘69, Kalpana Misra, Laurie Brumbaugh ‘78, Paula Milsten ‘61, Brad Place. SECOND ROW: Peggy Cadenhead, Cheryl LaFortune ‘77 & ’79, Don Blackburn ‘66, Caroline Abbott ‘97 & ‘00, Valerie Naifeh ‘96, Greg Spears ‘94, Mitch Adwon ‘79, Greg Frizzell ‘81, Bill Derrevere ‘67 & ‘69, Bob Mogelnicki ‘79, Judy McCormack ‘63 & ‘77, Bob McCormack ‘61 & ‘69, Mary Lhevine ‘82, George Schnetzer, Michael Graves ‘67 & ‘70, Linda Frazier ‘79 & ‘80, Marc Frazier.

NOT PICTURED: John & Beth Bovaird, Elaine Burkhardt ‘77, Lisa Dewey ‘90, Lex Frieden ‘71, Wendy Gregory ‘98, Brad Grow ‘78, Sarah Hummel ‘07 & ‘10, Jenk & Jerri Jones ‘84, Jake Jorishie ‘71 & ‘08, Bobbye Potter ‘68, ‘76, & ‘83, Martin Wing.

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