Dr. Bernard Armada, Communication and Journalism Department, College of Arts and Sciences, is the author of the article, “Place Politics: Material Transformation and Community Identity at the National Civil Rights Museum,” in the Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 40 (2010), pages 897-914.
Father James Burns, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, College of Applied Professional Studies, presented a symposium, "Exploring Ministerial Leadership During Anxious and Doubt-Filled Times," to the Executive Committee of the International English Speaking Conference of the Order of Friars Minor on April 16 in Dublin, Ireland.
New honorary degree recipient Father Jan Michael Joncas, center, with Provost Thomas Forget (left) and President Anthony Cernera of Sacred Heart University.
Father Jan Michael Joncas, Catholic Studies and Theology departments, College of Arts and Sciences, received an honorary doctorate from Sacred Heart University April 14 in Fairfield, Conn. Joncas accepted the honor at a special academic convocation at the university, where he also premiered his new musical composition, “A Time of Jubilee.” He gave a public talk, “Sing a New Song: Composing for Roman Catholic Worship Since Vatican II,” that evening and led a workshop for professional musicians the next day. See Sacred Heart's coverage of the event here.
Dr. Don LaMagdeleine and Dr. Deb DeMeester, College of Applied Professional Studies, Leadership, Policy and Administration Department, presented a paper, "Diversity Training and Cops’ Moral Careers: Street Officers on the Pluses and Minuses of One Program Model," at March 31 at the Midwest Sociological Society annual meeting in Chicago. Their paper discussed police officers’ perceptions of and experiences with diversity training within the context of their career development.
Donna Nix and Janice Kragness, Charles J. Keffer Library, and Marianne Hageman, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center, gave a conference presentation, “Information Literacy: The Bridge From High School to College,” to the Catholic Library Association on April 7 in Minneapolis. Nix and Kragness also participated in the annual conference of the Minnesota Library Association last fall in St. Cloud; Nix gave a presentation on “What’s New in Young Adult Literature" and with Kragness participated in a panel presentation on “Libraries and Writing Centers: Services to Graduate Students.”
Dr. Kimberly Vrudny, Theology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, is the author of a recently published book, Friars, Scribes and Corpses: A Marian Confraternal Reading of "The Mirror of Human Salvation" (Speculum humane salvationis) (Peeters Publishing, Leuven, Belgium).
Dr. Philip Rolnick, Theology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Jayna L. Ditty, Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, are the authors of an article, “Keeping Faith: Evolution and Theology,” in Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture published by St. Thomas' Center for Catholic Studies. The article appears in the spring issue, Vol. 13, No. 2.
Faculty and undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Sociology and Criminal Justice Department presented their research at a regional meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society March 31-April 3 in Chicago. Dr. Sue Smith-Cunnien presented “African Social Institutions and Criminal Justice: Will African Nations Abandon Colonial Institutions.” Dr. Meg Wilkes Karraker presented “Organizational Cultures or Social Networks? Catholic Women’s Congregations with Ministries to Migrant Women and Children in 'Bluffton,' a City in the Upper Midwestern United States" and “ASA, MSS, and Other Resources for Organizing Students.” Dr. William Kinney gave two presentations: “An Examination of Cultural Fragmentation Among Generation Y” and “Generation Y, Perceptions of Deviance, and the Viral Video,” co-authored with UST alumna Dr. Jynette Larshus, of Minot State University. Dr. Lisa Waldner organized the undergraduate research poster session. Participating St. Thomas students included: Jackie Pavek and Breanna Alston,“Assessing the Impact of Seed Potatoes on a Rural Village in Mali” (Dr. Sue Smith-Cunnien, adviser); Nathaniel Minor, “Seen, But Not Known: A Post-Modern Analysis of Media Coverage of the Minnesota Somali Community” (Dr. Meg Wilkes Karraker, adviser); and Francis Skamser, “How Am I Not You: A Phenomenological Approach to Bi-Polar Disorder (Dr. Meg Karraker, adviser).
Dr. Trudi Taylor, School of Education, presented a paper at the International Society for Teacher Education conference held at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica, Porte Alegre, Rio Grande do Sol, Brazil, April 10-17. Her paper, “Intentional Leadership Development: Preparing Teachers Who Are Effective Advocates for Learners,” is based on her current sabbatical research. Taylor also served as a group facilitator for the conference, and her article, “They Could Only Have Dreamed,” was selected for publication in the ISTE's 30th anniversary commemorative publication. Teacher educators from 25 countries attended the conference.
Dr. Meg Wilkes Karraker, Sociology and Criminal Justice Department, College of Arts and Sciences, is the author of a chapter, "Families in Global Context," in Women Worldwide: Transnational Feminist Perspectives on Women, by J. Lee and S. Shaw ( McGraw Hill, 2011).
