News from the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)

The College of Arts and Sciences offers seven distinctive programs of excellence that feature the integration of theory and practice through performance learning. I am pleased to report recent accomplishments and professional performances of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty and students.  The seven programs of excellence are:  (1) Natural Sciences Research, (2) Applied Math & Physics, (3) Behavioral Science Research & Social Action, (4) Professional Communication, (5) Writing & Publishing, (6) Ethical Reasoning & Political Action, and (7) International Cultures & History.

The Chemistry department was notified that their proposal to host the 2013 Sigma Zeta National Convention has been accepted. Therefore, the Pi Chapter of Millikin will host the 2013 Sigma Zeta National Convention at Millikin University. Dates of the national science honorary conference will be March 28-30, 2013.

The Chemistry department held the 6th Annual American Chemical Society Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) Lecture on Monday, April 23. This year's speaker was Susan Clardy‑James ('08), who is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University. The title of her seminar was, "The path to an orally administered protein therapeutic for the treatment of diabetes mellitus."

Dr. George Bennett, Professor of Chemistry, attended the 243rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in San Diego, CA from March 24-28, 2012 with six students and Dr. Paris Barnes, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Two of Dr. Bennett’s research advisees, Kirsten Daykin and Chelsea Hadsall, presented posters in the undergraduate research poster symposium on March 26. The four officers of the Millikin student chapter of the ACS (Stephanie Gates, Kirsten Daykin, Brittany Sherron, and Kimberly Watson) presented a poster in the Successful Student Chapter poster symposium on March 26. The Millikin chapter was also presented with an Outstanding Chapter Award and a Green Chemistry Chapter Award at the student chapter awards ceremony on March 25. Dr. Bennett is the faculty advisor of the Millikin chapter.

Dr. Anne Rammelsberg, Associate Professor of Chemistry, obtained her sixth patent, United States Patent 8,114,447 Abbas; Charles (Champaign, IL), Rammelsberg; Anne M. (Decatur, IL), Beery; Kyle (Decatur, IL) February 14, 2012 Extraction of phytosterols from corn fiber using green solvents. The work was completed while Anne was on a year-long leave of absence from Millikin University, working in Dr. Charles Abbas' group at ADM for 18 months.

Dr. Judy Parrish, Professor of Biology, was invited to serve as the panel member representing small private universities at the fall Faculty Job Search Retreat by Rebecca Bryant, Assistant Dean and Director of Career Services of the Graduate College of the University of Illinois.  The panel included 3 other faculty, Dr. Geoffrey Griffiths, from Parkland College, Dr. William Lovekamp, from Eastern Illinois University, and Dr. Albert Valocchi, from the University of Illinois, and was attended by approximately 250 University of Illinois graduate students.  Panelists discussed "What are Search Committees Looking For".

In June, Dr. Judy Parrish joined a group of students from Millikin at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, to teach a Millikin Program of Student Learning (MPSL) science with lab - Biology of the Bay of Fundy - to some of the participants in the New Brunswick Early Music Festival. They camped at Fundy National Park and observed the amazingly high tides, studied the major species of the Acadian/boreal forests of Eastern Canada, and caught tide pool creatures such as starfish, ribbon worms, sea urchins, and green crabs while walking where the water had been 20 feet or deeper only a few hours before.  They waded into salt marshes, experiencing fully the unstable substrate and the unique smells of this system that nourishes the young sea life by the death and decomposition of its own inhabitants. They ventured out into the Bay of Fundy on a charter boat to observe the sea mammals and bird life of this incredibly diverse portion of the Gulf of Maine. The merging of disciplines was exemplified by the songs the talented musicians made up as memory aides-like the Ode to the Limpet. They survived the black flies, and most learned to tell bald eagles from mosquitoes (at least the mature bald eagles have white heads and tails...). 

In July, Dr. Judy Parrish, Biology, attended the meeting of the Botanical Society of America in St. Louis, MO, "Healing the Planet". A high point was when Dr. Peter Raven, President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Time Magazine "Hero for the Planet", gave the plenary address advocating for conservation and a sustainable environment. Dr. Parrish acted as a judge for student posters and presentations.

He presented a seminar entitled "Immune function, physiology and reproductive success in Central Illinois songbirds" to the Champaign County Audubon Society on May 5.  In June, he taught a week-long day class, "All About Birds" to students ages 7-11 for the Sun Foundation in Washburn, Illinois and completed a summer bird inventory for the Sun Foundation to be used as part of their trail conservation plan.  The Sun Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers a series of programs and opportunities for children to experience the arts and sciences and appreciate the natural world around them.  Also in June, he delivered two bird handling and banding demonstrations at the Rhodes-France Boy Scout camp in Pana, Illinois.  In July, Travis contributed an oral presentation entitled "Variation in female nest attendance in Florida scrub-jays" at the annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society in Bloomington, Indiana.  Also, on July 25, had a manuscript accepted for publication in the journal General and Comparative Endocrinology entitled "Age-related differences in baseline and stress-induced corticosterone in Florida scrub-jays".

Dr. David Horn, Associate Professor of Biology, and Dr. Travis Wilcoxen, Assistant Professor of Biology, are currently in the spring field season of a study that received $27,556 in funding from the Wild Bird Feeding Industry Research Foundation to study how wild bird feeding influences the bird community and the health of individual birds. The study will take place from January - August, 2012. Two Millikin students and Leighty Scholars, Kelly Commons and Madeline Knott, were also recipients of research grants from the Illinois State Academy of Science to cover additional expenses incurred during the study. Numerous students on the project have given external presentations.  Kelly Commons gave a presentation at the state Beta Beta Beta conference comparing population estimates of birds observed during the study using different models. 

Drs. Horn and Wilcoxen presented a seminar to the community on "Watching and attracting birds in central Illinois" this spring, and David also presented a seminar titled "Turning science into business and bringing business to the classroom" at Millikin's Entrepreneurship Across the Campus Symposium.  This fall, David will begin his third year as a Coleman Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellow.  With funding from the Coleman Foundation, he will be teaching the course "Creating a Scientific Business Venture" to science and business students this fall.  

(2) APPLIED MATH & PHYSICS
Faculty and students in these programs develop advanced mathematical modeling abilities in a variety of applied math fields including actuarial science, physics or math education. The math department hosts an undergraduate math conference each year, and the physics program hosts numerous science and astronomy outreach programs to schools and the community.

The Mathematics department hosted The Shapes of Sacred Space: Lay Out and Design of Maya Art and Architecture and Implications for Maya Cosmology on March 27, 2012 with Dr. Christopher Powell presenting.  Dr. Powell is credited with Field Director of The Proyecto Grupo de Las Cruces, Palenque 1997-2000, Excavated the tomb of Copan's lineage founder, Lord Yax K'uk' Mo' 1995. The Shapes of Sacred Space, presents revolutionary new theories regarding Maya geometry and explains how the Maya, both ancient and modern, incorporate the proportions of nature in their art and Architecture.

Dr. James V. Rauff, Professor of Mathematics, published four book reviews in the journal Mathematics and Computer Education.  He reviewed Roads to Infinity: The Mathematics of Truth and Proof by John Stillwell, Mathematical Works Printed in the Americas, 1554-1700 by Bruce Stanley Burdick, Mathematics in Ancient Iraq: A Social History by Eleanor Robson  and The Artist and the Mathematician by Amir Aczel. He published a review of the book The Archaeology of Measurement: Comprehending Heaven, Earth and Time in Ancient Societies edited by Iain Morley and Colin Renfrew in the journal Mathematics and Computer Education.

Dr. Eun-Joo Lee, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, co-authored a paper, “Interval estimation for extreme value parameter with censored data” with her student, Dane Walker and students and faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. The paper has recently been published in International Scholarly Research Network (ISRN) Applied Mathematics (Article ID 687343, pp 1-12, 2011). This paper explores the extreme value distribution when data are censored.

She also co-authored a paper, “Life Expectancy Estimate with Bivariate Weibull Distribution using Archimedean Copula”. This manuscript, co-authored with Chang-Hyun Kim (Researcher, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) and Seung-Hwan Lee (Associate Professor, Illinois Wesleyan University), has recently been published in International Journal of Biometrics and Bioinformatics (Vol. 5, pp149-161, 2011). The IJBB creates a platform to promote and extend the use of statistical and mathematical methods in the principal disciplines of biosciences. The paper investigates multiple myeloma bone disease using a statistical modeling.

Dr. Paula R. Stickles, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, co-authored an article with Dr. Crystal Walcott of Indiana University-Purdue University-Columbus, titled “Calculator Use on NAEP: A Look at Fourth- and Eighth-Grade Mathematics Achievement” that appeared in the April 2012 issue of School Science and Mathematics journal.

Dr. Stickles coauthored an article with Dr. Joe A. Stickles, Jr., Associate Professor of Mathematics, entitled “The Effect of Reading Assignments on Test Question Performance in Calculus” appear in Mathematics and Computer Education, 44(3), 205 – 212.

She also had a book review of Semiotics in Mathematics Education: Epistemology, History, Classroom, and Culture (Radford, Schubring, & Seege, 2008) published in Mathematics and Computer Education, (volume 44, no. 3, pp. 266 – 268) and an article “An Analysis of Secondary and Middle School Teachers’ Mathematical Problem Posing” appear in Investigations in Mathematics Learning, 3(2), 1 – 34.

Dr. Joe Stickles, Associate Professor of Mathematics, co-authored an article,"Zero-Divisor Graphs in Commutative Rings: ASurvey" (with D. F. Anderson and M. Axtell).  This article appeared in an edited volume, titled Commutative Algebra: Noetherianand non-Noetherian Perspectives, that was published by Springer-Verlag, Inc.  He also co-authored an article, "Graphs and Zero-Divisors" (with M. Axtell). This article appeared in College Mathematics Journal. He also co-authored an article, titled "Cut Vertices in Zero-Divisor Graphs of Finite Commutative Rings", that appeared in Communications in Algebra. He alsowrote a book review of Voltaire's Riddle: Micromegas and the Measure of All Things that appeared in Mathematics and Computer Education journal.

Dr. Casey Watson, Assistant Professor of Physics, reached several important milestones during the spring semester of 2012. On February 25^th, Dr. Watson was awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy. At the Faculty Development Workshop on March 3^rd, Dr. Watson received the Teaching Excellence Award, Research Excellence Award, and the Best Faculty Paper Award for “Constraining Sterile Neutrino Warm Dark Matter with Chandra Observations of the Andromeda Galaxy”.  This paper, which was published on March 9, 2012 in the prestigious Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP), is Dr. Watson’s first publication with a Millikin University student co-author: senior physics major Nick Polley as well as his first publication with long-time collaborator Zhiyuan Li of Harvard/UCLA

Dr. Watson attended a New Faculty Workshop Reunion last November in College Park, Maryland, to further enhance his teaching skills and network with fellow new professors.

He also completed a research project last semester with senior physics major Bill Kersten, in which they developed a theoretical model of Cepheid Variable (CV) star pulsation periods. The model successfully reproduces the observed periods as a function of stellar mass (between 1 and 50 days for CVs from 3 to 9 solar masses).

Dr. Eric Martell, Assistant Professor of Physics, presented a talk entitled "The Physics of Theatre: A Scenario Based Interdisciplinary Course" at the Spring Meeting of the Illinois Association of Physics Teachers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign on March 30. The talk summarized the results of the first teaching of a Physics of Theatre course during the January 2012 Immersion term. The course was team-taught with Verda Beth Martell, Opera Technical Director at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at UIUC, and utilized facilities from both institutions. The summative experience for the course required the students to design real-world scenarios that could occur on stage and then perform the necessary calculations to specify the equipment needed to perform the task.

Dr. Martell also presented a contributed talk entitled "Physics of Theatre: Influences on Teaching and Research" at the American Association of Physics Teachers Summer Meeting in Omaha, NE on August 1. The talk was part of a session on what physics teachers have learned from the (liberal) arts. It was the latest in a series of presentations based on the Physics of Theatre project, which have taken place at national theatre and physics meetings. Dr. Martell also advised two Leighty Scholars on their summer research projects. Eddie Pluhar studied the effect of "hop chambers" on air bearing systems, research which was supported in part by a local Decatur company, AirFloat. Bret Henderson tested a new system which can be used to measure the forces in bridges and other structures.

 (3) BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCH & SOCIAL ACTION

The Behavioral Sciences Department and the Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs sponsored a visit to the campus by John Wessel-McCoy (MU graduate) and Willie Baptist (author of Pedagogy of the Poor) from the Poverty Initiative at the Union Theological Seminary in NYC  (See povertyinitiative.org) on March 6, 2012. The talk focused on poverty, income inequality, and homelessness, and what you can do. 

Stacey Sparks, Adjunct Instructor of Behavioral Sciences and Coordinator of University Wellness and Counseling, completed the National Wellness Institute Certified Worksite Wellness Specialist training this summer at the 36^th Annual National Wellness Conference at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point.  Having passed the examination, she now carries the credentials of Certified Worksite Wellness Specialist (CWWS).  

(4) PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION

Faculty and students in communication conduct research and practice professional skills in public relations, organizational communication or media production. Communication students practice their professional communication through required internships and campus opportunities such as working for the award-winning Millikin University radio station, WJMU.

Dr. Jeffrey Brand, Associate Professor of Communication, made four presentations this Spring. His paper, “Incidental Crisis Management: Strategies and tactics for success,” was presented at the 15^th International Public Relations Research Conference in Miami, Florida. The conference consists of public relations practitioners and scholars from 19 countries. Dr. Brand also attended the Central States Communication Association Annual Convention, where he made three presentations. “Expanding public relations pedagogy: Small business, entrepreneurship, and the Introduction to PR course,” was presented in a Public Relations Division panel. A second presentation, “Connecting with strangers:  The “American Pickers” demonstrate communication skills,” was presented in a G.I.F.T.’s session (Great Ideas for Teaching Speech). A final presentation, “The rhetoric of 9/11 education: Communicating the crisis in the classroom,” co-authored with Dr. Bobbi Gentry, Political Science was presented to a panel sponsored by the Media Studies Interest Group.

Dr. Brand also attended three conferences. At the American Communication Association Fall Conference, hosted by Millikin University and the Department of Communication, he presented his paper, “Doing Business in Chicago: Public Relations and Slavery Reparations.”  Dr. Brand attended the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization Annual Conference as a Millikin University Coleman Fellow to develop resources as an entrepreneurship educator.  And finally, Dr. Brand attended the 2010 Assessment Institute to help develop assessment resources for the Communication Department. Dr. Brand also served as the local host for the Fall meeting of the Central Illinois Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. He received training in July to serve as a volunteer for Macon County’s first Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Dr. Tom Duncanson, Associate Professor and Griswold Distinguished Professor of Communication, published a review of Paul Turpin's book The Moral Rhetoric of Political Economy in Ethica:  The Newsletter of the National Communication Association Communication Ethics Division (Spring 2012) and a brief essay on mediation education entitled "Not Angelism," in the Prairie Land Conflict Mediation Center Newsletter (January-February 2012).  Back from staffing Millikin's London semester in the fall 2011 term, Duncanson resumed his monthly, hour-long, programs on contemporary research on mediation and alternative dispute resolution on WEFT-FM radio in Champaign. The January 22 program was entitled "The Challenges of Mediation Education," the February 22 program was "On Anger: Ancient Seneca and Contemporary Mediation," and March 25 was "Revisiting Conflict Typologies." On Sunday, April 1, Duncanson participated in the Sigma Lambda Gamma, Iota Delta chapter, discussion program "Censorship in the American Education System," held on the Millikin campus.

Dr. Duncanson has also  initiated a series of one-hour monthly programs on WEFT-FM in Champaign, Illinois (and streaming worldwide), entitled "The Mediation Hour."  The programs are based on current research in mediation.  The May 1 program was entitled, "Creating Alternative Dispute Resolution Systems," the June 19 program was "How Mediators End Up in Court," the July 23 program as "What Mediators Say Makes an Effective Mediator," and the August 21 program was "Increasing Participation in Mediation Programs." Duncanson had an article, "The Anti-Corruption Argument in Freedom of Expression Discource," published in Communication Law Review, 11.1, 2001.

Brandon Hensley, Adjunct Instructor of Communication, was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Research Award at the 80th annual Florida Communication Association (FCA) conference. He was elected to the FCA executive board as 2nd Vice President, and is also serving as a reviewer of manuscripts for the Florida Communication Journal.

 
Dr. Nancy J. Curtin, Assistant Professor of Communication, conducted two presentations at the Central States Communication Association Conference in Cleveland, OH in April 2012. Curtin presented a paper titled, “Exploring the Role of Sexual Orientation in a Partner’s Illness and Death: An Auto-Ethnographic Approach.”  Her second presentation was part of a panel titled, “Connecting the National Discussion of Undergraduate Education: Exploring Curricula Reform at the Departmental, College and University Level.” Dr. Curtin also served as program planner at the Central States Communication Association Conference for the G.I.F.T. (Great Ideas For Teaching) division. This division conducted a competitive, juried review process that resulted in submissions presented at the conference. Submissions focused on sharing original teaching activities and assignments for various communication classes. Dr. Curtin also directed a student research project that was presented at this same regional conference as part of the Undergraduate Research Honors Conference. Sarah Reed, senior Communication major, presented in a competitive, juried poster symposium. Her poster was titled, “Analysis of Crisis Communication in the Horizon BP Oil Spill.” At this conference, Reed earned an award for top poster in this undergraduate poster competition. Only three undergraduates received an award in the poster symposium.

(5) WRITING & PUBLISHING

Students and faculty in the writing and publishing program can concentrate on creative writing, professional writing, literature, print journalism or English education. In addition to courses on the art of publishing and web publishing, students in this program join student-run publishing companies including the student newspaper, the Decaturian, the book publishing company, Bronze Man Books, the literary magazine, Collage, or the poetry broadside publishing company, Blue Satellite Press.

 Dr. Purna Banerjee, Associate Professor of English, delivered a lecture on "Androgyny and its Relevance to Gender Theory" at the Department of South and South East Asian Studies, Calcutta University, India on March 21, 2012. The lecture was attended by M.A. and Ph.D. students of the Department and of Women's Studies, as well as faculty from all across the Humanities and Social Science disciplines at Calcutta University.

Dr. Carmella Braniger, Associate Professor of English and Director of University Studies, had three poems published in the January issue of GUSTS: International Contemporary Tanka, and she has had her poetry sequence, "Letting You In Again," accepted for upcoming publication in red lights, an international biannual poetry journal. Her article "Responsive Tanka Trios & Quartets: A New Twist on Collaborative Composition" recently appeared in Issue 11 of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka, along with the re-publication of collaborative poetry composition, "Green Tongues: A Trio of Tanka." Finally, her poem "leaf-cutter ants" was selected for upcoming publication in Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, Volume 4. In addition to these significant artistic achievements, Dr. Braniger engaged in scholarship of education and philosophy on several occasions this semester. She led colleagues Dr. Robert Money, Associate Professor of Philosophy, and Dr. Larry Troy, Professor of Sociology, in presenting research on contemporary general education trends in higher education at the Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, April 1, 2012. On April 18, 2012, she demonstrated her "commitment to the life the mind" (Humanities Plan, 5) by presenting scholarship of philosophy “Self-Writing and Correspondence: The Life of the Mind in the Writing Classroom” at the 48th Annual Allerton English Articulation Conference, in Monticello, IL. And, she was invited to share her scholarship on contemplative education and philosophy at the International Symposia of Contemplative Studies Poster Symposium in Denver, CO, April 26-29. Finally, Dr. Braniger was recently promoted from Reviewer to Associate Editor (2-yr appointment) of the peer-reviewed journal English Language Teaching. Not only will she continue to engage in review of the scholarship of professional colleagues, but she will also provide advice and suggestions to the publisher and editorial team and promote the journal in the academic community.

Dr. Braniger has had numerous poems and poetry sequences published recently. The Autumn  2010 issue of Ribbons included individual poems “tying his tie” and “red balloon.” In November, “her head nods” was published in Eucalypt: A Tanka Journal issue 9. Fall/Winter issues of Moonbathing: A Journal of Women’s Tanka and Gusts: International Contemporary Tanka included Dr. Braniger’s poems “snow melts,” “signs of an absent child,” and “the tender gesture.”  In December, Notes from the Gean published two individual poems, “through the haze” and “he wraps me,” as well as two collaborative haiga (photo tanka) “early morning” and “you think me,” with photos by Aubrie Cox. 

The January issue of Magnapoets published “pink ladies” and “at the drugstore,” and the January issue of red lights included her poems “gathering apples” and “across the prairies.” “What Luck: A Summer Tanka Quartet,” written in collaboration with Dr. Randy Brooks and English Writing Majors Joseph Bein and Jackson Lewis, was accepted for publication by Atlas Poetica: A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka and is forthcoming in their Winter issue, number 8.  Finally, “leaf-cutter ants” was selected as one of 25 to be featured by Atlas Poetica in their Tanka for Children Special Feature.

Dr. Stephen Frech, Associate Professor of English, had a book of poetry translations from the Dutch poet, Menno Wigman published in Februrary 2012. The title of the book is Zwart als kaviaar/Black as Caviar. Also this spring semester, Presa literary journal published a review of his previously published chapbook, A Palace of Strangers Is No City. In the review, Roseanne Ritzema wrote: “Stephen Frech writes with taut phrasing, surreal imagery and a mysterious sense of reality. A Palace of Strangers Is No City is an engaging and haunting prose poem sequence that gives us a dark, disoriented view […] Beauty, art and love are continually compromised by external restraints. Reality and fantasy are often intertwined. Frech combines surreal imagery with tight description to give cohesion to the sequence. […] Along the way we may briefly connect with others but we ultimately make the journey alone. Mystery provides significant tension in this striking sequence of prose poems.”  Novelist John Dalton writes: “A Palace of Strangers Is No City is a one-of-a-kind experience.” His new chapbook of prose poetry and flash fiction was reviewed by Arene Koronas on the Boston Area Small Press Poetry Scene blog. The review concludes: “This is a masterfully written book. There is no escape from page one to thirty three.  A must buy. A must read.”

Dr. Frech has Menno Wigman poetry translations from the Dutch published in the most recent issues of the following literary journals: five poems in Absinthe: New European Writing; four in Copper Nickel; and three in Dirty Goat.  He was invited to read at the Elswout Poetry Festival in Haarlem in The Netherlands, August 6th. This year marks the first time the festival has included a writer from outside The Netherlands. He taught two three-day poetry workshops at the David R. Collins Writing Conference at St. Ambrose University in June. Dr. Frech’s poetry sequence “A Book For Going Forth By Day,” published in Waccamaw Journal, was identified as a finalist for the 2010 Best of the Net Anthology, an on-line publication that recognizes the best of national internet publications.

Dr. Devon Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor of English, presented at the biannual Thomas R. Watson conference held at the University of Louisville. Her paper entitled, "Don't Aggro the Whole Room While Trying to Sheep, Ya Noob: Language Conventions at Work in World of Warcraft," explores the ways in which language is worked not only "ingame" to build collective identity among players but also outside of the game to form connections.

Dr. Tony Magagna, Assistant professor of English, has been selected as the "Potsdam - Junior Fulbright Lectureship in American Studies." He will be a lecturer within the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Potsdam, Germany during the 2012-2013 school year. As part of the program in American Studies at Potsdam, Dr. Magagna may teach at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and has offered to teach courses in modern and contemporary American literature, as well as courses in his area of specialty: the literature and culture of the American West (a subject with much allure within popular German culture). As the Fulbright Commission describes it, "This special grant is meant to enhance the strong American Studies program in Potsdam and to offer the visiting scholar the regional and international network of resources and scholars in and around Potsdam. It is an ideal position for a career-oriented scholar seeking international experience, who is willing to share American scholarship and teaching methods."

Dr. Magagna had an article by "A Place Apart: Transcending Social Topographies in The Song of the Lark" published as a chapter in Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark. The volume is the latest in Rodopi Press's renowned Dialogue Series and was edited by Cather scholar Debra Cumberland. Also in October, Dr. Magagna traveled to the national Western Literature Association conference in Prescott, Arizona, where he was invited to present a paper entitled “Some Open Space Between: Geography, Mythology, and Determinism in Annie Proulx’s Wyoming Stories.”

Dr. Randy Brooks, Professor of English and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences,
had 19 poems published in the Spring 2012 semester including: two in Fox Dreams, edited by Aubrie Cox. Yaywords, (Muncie, IN); one in Haiku Teen, (Montreal, Canada) Wintergreen Studios Press; two in The Haiku Foundation Haiku App Database 2012, (Winchester, VA); thirteen published as part of a sequence of 39 poems by Randy Brooks, Carmella Braniger, and Natalie Pefetti entitled, “Green Tongues: A Tanka Trio,” in Atlas Poetica: A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka, Issue 11, (Perryville, MD); and one in Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka 2011, Volume 4. Baltimore, MD: Modern English Tanka Press, 2012. The international editorial team of Take Five, consisting of M. Kei, editor-in-chief (USA), Patricia Prime (New Zealand), Magdalena Dale (Romania), Amelia Fielden (Australia), Claire Everett (United Kingdom), Owen Bullock (New Zealand), David Terelinck (Australia), Janick Belleau (Canada), and David Rice (USA), read all tanka published in English during 2011 with the goal of selecting the best tanka for inclusion in the annual anthology. The team read approximately eighteen thousand poems to choose about three hundred for inclusion in this, the fourth volume in the Take Five series. Dr. Brooks also participated in two poetry readings: A Night of Poetry, sponsored by the Decatur Area Arts Council and Bronze Man Books at the Madden Arts Center (Decatur, IL), on April 16, 2012 and the Opening Ceremony for Women’s History Month, Gender Studies Program, Millikin University, on March 2, 2012.

Dr. Brooks also had an essay, “Haiku Poetics: Objective, Subjective, Transactional and Literary Theories” published in the Summer 2011 issue of Frogpond, journal of the Haiku Society of America, (Toronto, Canada). He also had two short articles, “Consonance as the Genesis of Humor in Haiku” and “Haiku Slam and Beyond” published in Lighting the Global Lantern: A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Haiku and Related Literary Forms edited by Terry Ann Carter. An interview with him on teaching haiku was published in Simply Haiku 9.2, Eighth Anniversary Issue, Summer 2011. A poem by Dr. Brooks was published in Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka 2010, Volume 3, Baltimore, MD: Modern English Tanka Press, Summer 2011.

Dr. Michael O’Conner, Associate Professor of English, served as an external reviewer for a study and review of the English program at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, at the invitation of Provost Christine M. Bahr. O’Conner visited the campus on April 22 and 23, and will help prepare the final report for the department’s program review throughout the month of May.  On March 31, he also served as a guest interviewer and moderator for a discussion and lecture between “President Abraham Lincoln” and “Governor Richard J. Oglesby,” performed by actors Randy Duncan and Dick Torgerson, for the annual “Breakfast with the President” program sponsored by the Lincoln Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America, at Central Christian Church in Decatur.

Dr. Anne Matthews, Associate Professor of English, had a book chapter published in The Captivity Narrative: Enduring Shackles and Emancipating Language of Subjectivity, just out this spring from Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Originally presented at the 2011 Southwest/Texas Popular and American Culture Association conference in San Antonio, the chapter, entitled “’No Wallace Was There’: The Disappearing Acts of a Runaway Slave,” examines the ways in which an escaped slave exploited his liminal status to outwit his captors and secure his freedom. This publication represents the successful culmination of work begun by Dr. Matthews during the 2009 Yale seminar on slave narratives.

Dr. Robert Wells, Assistant Professor of English and Faculty Advisor to the Decaturian, accompanied eight student editors and writers to Chicago to attend the annual Illinois College Press Association conference in mid-February. Millikin was one of 36 colleges and universities to participate this year. Editor-in-chief, Lindsey Compton, and Design Editor, Erie Patsellis, were honored with a First Place ICPA Award for Excellence in the category of "Front Page Design", restoring the tradition of Millikin University hosting "the award-winning Decaturian". The new tabloid format of the Decaturian, in addition to being considerably more cost-effective, has generally met with favor among students and faculty, attracting more attention, more Dec staff members (now nearly 50 student editors, writers, photojournalists), and more advertising. The Decaturian staff regularly produced 16-page issues this year, although there was one issue as large as 24 pages with extensive 4-color work (March 7, 2012 edition), a first in the publication's history. This increase affords more space to campus-related news, events, personalities, activities, art and photography.

David Jervis, Associate Professor of Political Science, presented the paper "Comparing Great Power Interventions in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan" at the April 2012 Southwest International Studies Association conference. The Political Science department is happy to have Dr. David Jervis back on campus after his Fulbright Fellowship last year.

 Dr. Robert Money, Associate Professor of Philosophy, led eighteen Millikin students in the moot court competition held as part of Model Illinois Government. Fourteen students participated as attorneys and four students participated as justices. Our students did exceptional work. Of the seven attorney teams we entered in the competition, five made the quarterfinal round, three made the semifinal round, and one made the final round. For the fifth consecutive year, students from Millikin University won the competition. The team of Justin Ladendorf and Joshua Rose defeated a team from Eastern Illinois University in the final round. In addition to the success of Millikin student teams, two Millikin students were recognized with individual awards. Cate Harriman was recognized as Most Outstanding Attorney, the second time she has won this award. In addition, Kevin Stocks was recognized as runner-up for Most Outstanding Attorney.

(7) International Cultures & History

Faculty and students interested in studying international cultures have many opportunities to study abroad through immersion or semester-long opportunities. Students and faculty in History conduct research including field studies or primary texts in their courses and through internships with historical organizations, such as museums.

Dr. Dan Monroe, Assistant Professor of History, presented a paper on anti-Catholicism and the Abolition Movement at the Great Lakes History Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Monroe also published an article on the cultural and architectural history of the Illinois Executive Mansion in the November-December issue of Illinois Heritage.  The History Department organized a chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, and held a Christmas dinner for faculty and students.

Elisheva A. Perelman is a new adjunct in the history department and has been awarded a Ph.D. from the prestigious Asian history graduate program at the University of California-Berkeley.  Elisheva is teaching Japanese history. She is ABD from University of California-Berkeley, and just returned from her second research trip to Japan on the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers and on Berkeley's Center for Japanese Studies Fellowship. While in Japan, she served as a guest researcher at Nagoya University, and presented a lecture to the University's Tuberculosis Working Group. She is happy to be joining Millikin's faculty.

Dr. Brian Mullgardt, Assistant Professor of History, presented on the topic “Report from the trenches: What my last nine years teaching high school students may teach us about incoming college freshmen” on April 11, 2012 at Millikin University. Professor Mullgardt joined Millikin after teaching high school students for several years. His talk centered on what contemporary high school students are like, and where they are coming from educationally as they enter college. He discussed common teaching strategies used in high schools.  Professor Mullgardt also acted as a judge at the Illinois History Fair.

Dr. Tim Kovalcik, Assistant Professor of History, gave a public lecture on Africa and AIDs at the Decatur Public Library in February, and he also delivered the invocation at the Associates Dinner in April. 

Bob Sampson, Adjunct Professor of History, spoke at the Decatur Public Library on baseball, and Bill Keagle, Adjunct professor of History, appeared in the play, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.

Dr. Eduardo Cabrera, Professor of Spanish, published two articles in Spring 2012 entitled “Mirada reconstructora de la historia argentina en la obra Esa extraña forma de pasión de Susana Torres Molina,” Alba de América, and “15 Festival Internacional Teatro de la Víspera,” in the Latin American Theatre Review. Cabrera was also invited to serve as a theatre critic to the 7th International Theatre Festival UCSUR in Lima, Perú.

Dr. Cabrera also published the article “Mujer, cuerpo e imagen en el centro de la estética teatral de Susana Torres Molina.” Teatro completo I. Susana Torres Molina. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Colihue (2010) 189-201.  He has also just published his new book Teatro breve para la clase y el escenario (Kansas: Gyldan Edge Publishing, 2011). It contains Cabrera’s 7 one-act plays.

Dr. Olivia Elizabeth Amaya, Assistant Professor of Spanish, presented “El caos urbano de Jacinta Escudos: Una ciudad agresiva y nada acogedora” at the Mid-America Conference on Hispanic Literature in St. Louis.  The article explores the Salvadoran writer’s representations of the chaos and angst in Salvadoran society during the civil war and its aftermath (1980-1990).  

As the faculty adviser of Sigma Delta Pi, Millikin’s chapter of the National Spanish Honors Society, Dr. Amaya presented a report to the National headquarters detailing the variety of activities related to Hispanic culture that she carried out with her students in 2010-2011.  Dr. Amaya’s work and that of her student members brought prestige to Millikin when the national headquarters chose them as one of the eleven chapters to receive the national designation as an “Honor Chapter of the Year” out of a total of 581 chapters across the country.  

Furthermore, Dr. Amaya has continued her relationship with Hispanic nuns working in Decatur with whom she collaborated last fall on a service learning project/. Amaya has continued to be an active scholar who highly values teaching and participates enthusiastically in service opportunities. 

 
Dr. Paul N Touré, Assistant Professor of French, presented two papers in French from his research in two national conferences. The first paper entitled “Civil Society and transnational critics in Bamako by Abderrahmane Sissako” was presented at  the 38th Annual Meeting of the African Literature Association held at the Adolphus Hotel Dallas Texas (date:  April 11-15, 2012).

Dr. Touré presented the second paper at the 65th Annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference and was held from April 19 to April 21, 2012 at the University of Kentucky, in Lexington. The title of the paper was “Youth and construction of transnational paradigm in The Belly of the Atlantic by Fatou Diome.”