Professional notes
Dr. Daniel Fairchild, Economics Department, is the author of an article, "Does the Minimum Wage Help the Poor?" accepted for publication in the Forum for Social Economics. In the article Fairchild surveys the last quarter-century of research on the effects of minimum wage laws. The empirical research reviewed led him to two conclusions: the notion that the minimum wage helps the poor is highly questionable, and alternative methods of assisting the poor should be considered seriously.
Dr. Michael Sullivan, College of Business and chief investment officer for the university, was a faculty member at this year's Endowment Management Forum of the National Association of college and University Business Officers. The forum, held each January in New York City, attracts more than 300 higher education endowment management professionals. Sullivan gave a presentation on the topic of establishing an investment office or a wholly owned investment company subsidiary for the management of endowment and similar funs. St. Thomas established the separate investment function and Treasury Office in 2000, and this office now manages almost $350 million in investment assets and $1.7 million in institutional debt.
Dr. Camille George and the School of Engineering are featured in an article, "Managing Across Cultures," in the February 2005 issue of Mechanical Engineering, the magazine of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It is the largest mechanical engineering magazine in North America.
Dr. Bruce Kramer, School of Education's Leadership, Policy and Administration Department, has been appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to a two-year term on the Minnesota Board of School Administrators. The 10-member board is responsible for the licensing of school administrators; the approval of higher education programs and continuing education courses for school administrators; and the enforcement of the code of ethics for school administrators.
Dr. Winston Chrislock, History Department, is editor of a translation of an autobiography of Frank Vlchek, Povidka meho sivota ("The Story of My Life") published by Kent State University Press late last year. Vlchek was a prominent Cleveland, Ohio, business leader who, after coming to America as a blacksmith in the late 1800s, built up a successful business manufacturing tools, especially tool kits for automobiles. After his retirement in the 1920s he spent the remainder of his life writing accounts in Czech of Cleveland's Czech neighborhoods. In 1928 he published the Czech version of his autobiography in Czechoslovakia, and Chrislock edited the English translation and translated portions of the book that previously had been omitted by the original translator. The work is a companion piece to Chrislock's "Cleveland Czechs" found in Identity, Conflict and Cooperation: Central Europeans in Cleveland, 1850-1930 (Western Reserve Historical Society, 2002), an account of the assimilation of and interaction among Poles, Slovaks, Hungarians, Croats, Slovenes and Czechs in Cleveland.
James Rogers, Center for Irish Studies, has completed a second term on the Minnesota Book Awards advisory committee convened by the Minnesota Humanities Commission. He also served as a facilitator for the poetry nomination group on "Selection Saturday," Jan. 18. The 17th annual Minnesota Book Awards will honor books in 13 categories on April 6.
Dr. Gerald Schlabach, Theology Department, is quoted in an article, "Bridging the divide: Dialogue Between Mennonites and Catholic Continues at International and Grassroots Levels," in the January issue of Living City, a magazine of the Focolare Movement. Focolare is an ecclesial movement for Christian and global unity most closely affiliated with the Catholic Church.
Dr. John Spry, Economics Department, is the author of a recently published article, "The Effects of Fiscal Competition on Local Property and Income Tax Reliance," in the Berkeley Electronic Press-published journal, Topics in Economic Analysis and Policy.
Dr. Kevin Theissen, Geology Department, is the author of an article, "Pronounced Occurrence of Long-Chain Alkenones and Dinosterol in a 25,000-Year Lipid Molecular Fossil Record From Lake Titicaca, South America," published in the Feb. 1 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, the journal of The Geochemical Society and The Meteoritical Society. Theissen wrote about his work on past climate and ecological change in the Central Andes region of South America. It details the use of chemical indicators to explore the varied ecological history of Lake Titicaca, the world's largest high-elevation lake. The article also describes the finding of chemical indicators in the lake that are potentially useful for interpreting past temperatures in the region.
