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On Campus
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April 2 , 2004 Vol. 56, No. 29
Conference on Undergraduate Research set for Friday
On Friday, April 9, Drake will host the first-ever Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences. This conference provides an opportunity for undergraduates to present their research to faculty, students and the general public.
The event will start at 8:45 a.m. in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center with opening remarks by John Burney, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Approximately 100 students will participate in oral presentations and poster sessions throughout the day. In addition, students will compete for prizes in a Science Quiz Bowl from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. The competition will be followed by an awards presentation.
The conference was organized by Maria Bohorquez, associate professor of chemistry; Charles Nelson, assistant professor of physics and astronomy; and Heidi Sleister, assistant professor of biology; in cooperation with a committee of students.
"The research topics that will be presented are very diverse, ranging from medical applications to mathematical theories," Bohorquez said. "Many people believe that cutting-edge scientific research is carried out only at large so-called research one institutions. While our resources at Drake are limited, there is still important and exciting work being done. We are working to improve the infrastructure and environment supporting research here at Drake and this conference is an important part of that effort."
The Drake Business Link will present a workshop on diversity from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 16, in Parents Hall North in Olmsted Center. A video by national diversity expert Morris Massey will be presented in which he discusses our value systems and how these affect our behavior when we are confronted by someone we see as "different" from ourselves.
After the video, local diversity experts Ruth Ann Gaines, Chrystal Stanley and Mike Wagner will divide participants into smaller groups and discuss how to improve relationships with co-workers, bosses and others who come from different backgrounds.
The workshop is free but seating is limited. Register online at www.cbpa.drake.edu/businesslink.
The Drake Neighborhood Farmers' Market recently won first place in the 2003 Iowa Farmers' Market Improvement Competition, in the category for communities of at least 20,000 population. The award included a check for $1,000 from the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
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| Donald Adams poses with Mary Edrington. |
Mary Edrington, assistant professor of marketing, recently received the Donald V. Adams Spirit of Drake Award. The award is presented annually by the Athletics Department to a faculty or staff member who best exemplifies the spirit of Drake.
Edrington was honored at the Feb. 28 men's basketball game. "Through mentoring, role modeling,
advising and teaching," the announcer said, "Mary
fosters an environment of lifelong learning and an
appreciation for humankind, which has helped Drake students to fulfill their goals for professional growth, career aspirations and citizenship responsibilities."
Past recipients of the award are Wanda Everage, vice provost for student affairs and academic excellence; and Lou Ann Simpson, professor of business law and executive assistant to President Maxwell. The award was named for Donald V. Adams, special counsel for institutional advancement.
Drake will celebrate the 114th anniversary of the Organization of American States with a Pan American Program and Luncheon at noon Thursday, April 15, in Olmsted Center. The event, which is open to the public, is designed to increase the level of knowledge and understanding of the American republics.
A panel discussion will focus on "Time for a New Neighbor Policy." Patrick O'Leary, director of the College of Business International Ventures at St. Ambrose University, will moderate. The panelists will be Matthew Esposito, professor of history at Drake; Heriberto Godina, professor of English education at the University of Iowa; and Barbara Quijano Decker, LA'72, GR'83, LW'00, administrator of human resources and diversity services, Mercy Medical Center.
The cost of the lunch is $12. Reservations are due by April 10. For reservations, call x2835.
Donald Browning, professor emeritus of the University of Chicago's Divinity School, will give the Harriet Drake Kirkham-Hay Lecture on Tuesday, April 13. The event will start at 7:30 p.m. in Bulldog Theater. Browning's lecture is titled "Is Marriage Like Driving a Car? Religious Perspectives on the Material Aspects of Intimacy."
Browning, an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is co-author of From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and the American Family Debate. He also is director of the Lilly Project on Religion, Culture and the Family.
The Writers and Critics Series will bring novelist Carole Maso to Drake to discuss her writing at
8 p.m. Wednesday, April 7 in the Reading Room of Cowles Library.
Maso, professor of creative writing at Brown University, is the author of the highly acclaimed novels Ghost Dance, The Art Lover, AVA, The American Woman in the Chinese Hat and Defiance. Much of her writing explores the boundary between poetry and prose. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Lannan Fellowship.
On Thursday, April 15, Robert Dana, AS'51, a nationally acclaimed poet who has won the Pushcart Prize and the Carl Sandburg Medal for Poetry, will read poems from his new book, The Morning of the Red Admirals. The reading will start at 7 p.m. in the Medbury Honors Lounge. Dana was editor of the Hillside Press and later revived and edited The North American Review.
Periphery, Drake's literary and art journal, will hold its Opening and Reading at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, in Parents Hall North, Olmsted Center. Writers will read their pieces and the artists' work will be on display.
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Salman Rushdie discusses fear and free speech. |
English students and faculty enjoy an informal talk with Rushdie. |
Approximately 2,000 people flocked to the Knapp Center Tuesday night to hear writer Salman Rushdie give the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture. Rushdie is perhaps best known for his 1989 book The Satanic Verses, which prompted Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa calling for his death. The Iranian government lifted the fatwa in 1998.
"I have some acquaintance with the subject of fear," Rushdie said. "When you are afraid, it paralyzes your ability to think and act." He criticized the Bush Administration for fear mongering in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "Why should government seek to generate fear?" he asked. "Then citizens will not object when the government behaves badly." That comment drew applause from the audience, which also gave Rushdie a standing ovation.
On Wednesday, Rushdie met separately with two groups of students. "It was absolutely incredible that we had an opportunity to sit down with such a world-renowned writer and activist and have a conversation about life and writing," said Drew Gulley, a junior English major. "The personal interaction was wonderful. His message of free speech and controlling the grand narrative were incredibly pertinent to what we've experienced on Drake's campus in recent months with the federal subpoena and gag order."
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Hoke L. Smith |
Hoke L. Smith, an esteemed leader in higher education who died of liver cancer in Baltimore March 27 at the age of 72, was renowned for his commitment to students and faculty. He made innumerable contributions to Drake from 1967 to 1979, serving as assistant to the president, then vice president of academic affairs and interim president.
"His death was a great loss to higher education," said Don Adams, special counsel for institutional advancement.
"Hoke personified an administrator who both cared for the faculty while tending to the University," said Dean Wright, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of sociology.
"I remember as a young faculty member being so incredibly impressed with the fact that he was actually interested in my opinions," said Sue Wright, professor of sociology. "He was a very good administrator who stood up for positions that were not always popular."
Smith left Drake to become president of Towson State University. He changed the university's name to Towson University to reflect the fact the institution was not funded entirely by the state. Dan Jones, a Towson professor, described Smith to The Baltimore Sun as "one of the last of a breed, ... a university president who had a broad-based liberal education..."
George Mosher, former purchasing director at Drake, cherishes a memento of Smith. "Hoke had an ugly brown statue that he got at the Des Moines Art Center," Mosher said. "Every time I went to his home I told him how much I hated it. As he was leaving Des Moines, he rang my doorbell and gave me the statue. I hate it just as much now as I did then, but it's a wonderful reminder of Hoke."
| Blake J. Bessey and Leah Alexander star in Drake's production of "The Tender Land," an opera by Aaron Copland. Performances start at 8 p.m. today (Friday, April 2) and Saturday, April 3, in the Performing Arts Hall, Harmon Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $6 for students. The opera is directed by Ann K. Cravero, visiting assistant professor of voice. The production features the Drake Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Canarina, director of orchestral activities at Drake. |
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