Birdie Cunningham, M.A., Wellness Center, was appointed by the Minneapolis City Council to the City of Minneapolis Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC). The role of the PHAC is to advise the city council and the health department on policy matters affecting the health of Minneapolis residents and to serve as liaisons between the city and the community in addressing health concerns. In this role PHAC shall make every effort to ensure that the concerns represented reflect the diverse viewpoints and interests of the Minneapolis community.
Dr. Bruce Gleason, Music Department and interim director of international education, is the author of the entry “Bands and Music” in Encyclopedia of Military Science, G. Kurt Piehler and M. Houston Johnson V, eds., vol. 1 (Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2013): 201-206.
Susan Marsnik is the author of an article, “Setting the Stage: Using a Simulation as a First Day of Class Exercise,” which has been accepted for publication in Simulation and the Learning of the Law, forthcoming from Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. The book is edited by Caroline Strevens, School of Law, University of Portsmouth; Richard Grimes, York Law School, University of York; and Edward Phillips, School of Law, University of Greenwich.
Scott Odman, UST Libraries, is the recipient of the Minnesota chapter of the Special Libraries Association's $250 fall professional development grant. Odman, St. Thomas' liaison for accounting and finance, plans to use the grant to offer a forum for area business information professionals in November at the University of St. Thomas. The grant aligns with the chapter’s focus to expand and promote SLA to new and nontraditional sectors of information professionals.
Dr. Barbara Shank, School of Social Work, moderated one of four panels at a White House briefing for 160 social workers titled "Addressing the Social Determinants of Health in a New Era: The Role of Social Work Education." Several senior White House officials participated in four panels addressing the importance of social workers as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act moves into a new phase Oct. 1, when the health insurance exchanges are open for business. Shank's panel reviewed the ongoing national dialogue on mental health launched by President Barack Obama at the White House on June 3 and the role social workers can play in promoting dialogue about mental health.
Dr. Lisa Waldner, Sociology and Criminal Justice, College of Arts and Sciences, with Betty A. Dobratz, Iowa State University, is the author of “Thoughts on Continuity and Change in White Power Movement Recruitment Strategies in the United States,” an essay that appears in Mobilizing Ideas, a production of: The Center for the Study of Social Movements at the University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Christian Washburn, associate professor of theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and a member of the International Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, attended the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity in Kyoto, Japan, in August. Conducted under the auspices of the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the conference focused on the topic “Baptism and Growing Communion.” The international commission, built on earlier ecumenical dialogues, focuses on the question of what kind of ecclesial communion arises from baptism.