Dodd receives Fulbright Award to teach in Iceland Dodd receives Fulbright Award to teach in Iceland Dodd is one of approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Scholar Program, which was established to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. This will be Dodd's second Fulbright experience. His first Fulbright grant enabled him to guest lecture and conduct research during the 1999-2000 academic year at Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. "Experiencing another culture, especially in a Norwegian academic setting, was something I really enjoyed," Dodd said. "So, when the opportunity for a sabbatical came, I decided to apply for another Fulbright. The award that seemed to best complement my area of interest was once again in one of the Nordic countries: Iceland. Most of my colleagues are somewhat puzzled that a Southerner is seemingly attracted to the colder climates, and I must admit that I asked myself that question during the 24-hour darkness of winter in Norway. "I feel that I am very fortunate to receive the support that a Fulbright award provides," Dodd added. "I am once again looking forward to the opportunity to learn from another culture and to share my experiences in my courses at Drake." While on sabbatical this year, Dodd also has been working on the seventh edition of the textbook "Accounting Theory: Conceptual Issues In a Political and Economic Environment." He's collaborating with Drake co-authors Harry Wolk, the Aliber professor emeritus of accounting, and John Rozycki, associate professor of finance. But soon he'll add one last title, as a prefix to those many others: "retired." Tronick says he'll spend his newfound free time traveling, playing golf and reading. Lou Ann Simpson, professor of business law and director of the School of Accounting, can attest to his knack for golfing. She played alongside Tronick in the Drake Golf League for many years. She's also worked with him in various capacities and describes him as a humble man of high integrity. "Tom is not a person who wants to be center stage, or to always be the center of attention," Simpson said. "But he gains a lot of attention and stands out in a crowd because he's honest, friendly, sincere, compassionate and honorable. That integrity is always present." Tronick orchestrated many changes during his time at Drake. When he worked for residence life, he oversaw the transition between housemothers and hall directors in undergraduate residence halls. As director of student activities, he concocted Drake Relays traditions -- now come and gone -- such as tent parties and fireworks displays. As director of Greek life, he brought three of Drake's most popular fraternities (Sigma Chi, Fiji, SigEp) to campus. All the while, he remained involved with students. "When I think of the high points, they're all of the students," Tronick said. Jan Wise, director of student leadership and service programs, said Tronick is a witty and good-spirited co-worker who gives excellent advice to students and staff. She says that Tronick is able to fit the most minute details into the "big picture" of the University, which she attributes to his vast range of experiences at Drake. "Tronick understands how student life fits into the University, and is always trying to bring in the best opportunities for students. When he worked as director of student life, he allowed students to make decisions for themselves, but he also guided them and empowered them," she said. Tronick was presented with the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence award in September 2006 for his positive influence on the lives of Drake students. Tronick plans to carry on his leadership after retirement through various positions in his church in Boone. He says he's comfortable leaving Drake because the University's future looks so bright. "The University is extremely healthy, and as I look at what's going to happen in the next five years in terms of residence life, especially with the quad residence halls and the new apartments, those great additions make it easier for me to leave. I've enjoyed every one of my 31 and a half years here," Tronick said. "I've enjoyed all of it." A reception for Tronick will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, in the lobby of Jewett Hall. About 17 students enrolled in political science professor Rachel Paine Caufield's honors satire course are putting the finishing touches on their final projects -- a work of political satire of some sort - that will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, in the Medbury Honors Lounge. Among the entries will be a "mockumentary" about immigration, a computer program that satirizes U.S. history and a children's book. Although satire courses are not rare on college campuses, they're usually taught in English departments, and include texts by writers like Aristophanes and Jonathan Swift. This course is different in that it's taught by a political scientist. While it gives a nod to early seminal works, it quickly delves into the deconstruction of more modern satirical fare -- such as "The Simpsons," "South Park," "The Onion," "The Colbert Report" and, of course, "The Daily Show." One major lesson the students have taken away from the course -- it's hard work being funny. "I think the students find satire challenging," Caufield said. "Throughout history satirists have been seen as the malcontents, as not happy or nice people. The job of the satirist is to attack unmercifully, but it has to be a smart, clever, sophisticated and thoughtful attack that makes people laugh." Caufield says she conceived of the course after noticing an explosion of satirical work across various communication platforms -- including movies, cable television, the Internet and radio. And, she maintains that the United States is in the middle of a "golden age of satire," in part because there's so much to make fun of in these uncertain times. "Political instability, or at the very least shifting political sensibilities, leads to better satire," she said. "When the country is fairly unified and politics is homogeneous you don't get a lot of great satire. When you have a wide range of viewpoints then you tend to get very good satire. Party polarization may be bad for a lot of things, but it's great for satire." While studies have shown that the popularity of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" have boosted knowledge about current events among young adults, other research suggests it's also increased cynicism among that age group. That might be true, Caufield said, but that's not necessarily bad, either. "I don't think that sort of political satire is tarnishing our youth," she said. "If anything, it may be opening eyes or promoting critical thinking, which is a good thing for democracy." Meghan Shanks, a sophomore from Lawrence, Kan., said the class is one of the best she's had at Drake. "I feel I've come out with a great understanding of satire and the techniques used to make it." Evan Ball, a junior from Lenexa, Kan., and Michelle Gombas, a senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., received a cash award of $175 for a physiology and immunology research project, titled "Exposure to Genistein During Gestation and/or Lactation Induces Atypical Reproductive and Immune Development in Sprague-Dawley Rats." Mary Caniglia, a senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, also received a cash award of $175 for her ecology and evolutionary biology research presentation, titled "Effects of Genistein Exposure during Critical Time Periods on Maternal Behavior in Sprague Dawley Rats." The students competed against both undergraduate and graduate students from 100 institutions at the conference. "It was pretty competitive, and they performed really well," said Amy Wisniewski, assistant professor of biology. "Drake offers good opportunities for outstanding students, and our students compete and do very well when compared to other undergraduate and graduate students nationally." Recognized at an awards ceremony, the students were presented a certificate and invitation to join Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. Membership in the international honor society of science and engineering is by invitation only, based on research achievements or potential. Founded in 1886, the non-profit society has about 65,000 members and more than 500 chapters in North America and overseas. Drake theatre majors and their guests will have the opportunity to learn from one of Broadway's finest actresses when Cherry Jones visits Drake on Thursday, Dec. 14. Jones will meet with the students at 2 p.m. in the Hall of Performing Arts in the Harmon Fine Arts Center. Jones, who won a 2005 Tony Award for portraying Sister Aloysius, reprises her role in the Betts Broadway Series presentation of "Doubt" at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines Dec. 13-17. She is a veteran of the stage and screen with Broadway credits that include "Angels in America" and "Faith Healer," where she played opposite Ralph Fiennes. Her vast film experience includes roles in "Ocean's Twelve," "Signs," "The Village" and "Erin Brockovich." Deena Conley, assistant professor of theatre arts, will moderate the session with Jones and the students, which is billed as an "Inside the Actors Studio"-style experience. "Dinner with Friends" is a funny yet bittersweet examination of the married lives of two couples that have been extremely close for dozens of years. The play keeps changing its perspective to show how one couple's breakup can have an equally devastating effect on another's stability. This play contains adult subject matter. The cast consists of Tony Humrichouser as Gabe; Ann Cravero as Karen; Deena Conley as Beth and Michael Rothmayer as Tom. Cravero is assistant professor of music. Humrichouser, Conley and Rothmayer are assistant professors of theatre arts. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Margulies garnered numerous rave reviews for "Dinner with Friends." The Wall Street Journal's Debra Jo Immergut wrote, "Donald Margulies has drawn one of the most complex and convincing portraits of a marriage in recent memory." The New York Times Review described the drama as "a play for our time." Crystal Amos, a senior from Des Moines, and Havvah Holl, a senior from Minden, Neb., offer the work as the final product of a two-semester-long independent study project. The duo completed every detail of the work, from original script development to casting and shooting, editing and promoting. "It's a contemporary neo-noir that works with gender issues, challenging traditional noir representations of the femme fatale," said Dina Smith, assistant professor of English and the students' advisor for the project. "The students started from scratch, knowing nothing about editing, and spent a good seven months dutifully working on this film, which, I have to admit, is pretty good." "Pink Flamingo" features local actors and students, an original soundtrack, Drake's campus and the cityscape of Des Moines. Smith described the film as a murder mystery that pays homage to classic films like "Double Indemnity" and "Taxi Driver." The project was inspired by Smith's Film Noir course. Following the screening of the film will be a brief reception card and a question-and-answer session. For more information about the event, call Dina Smith at x3127. The first-place team members are Chris Bettis, a senior from Overland Park, Kan.; Samatha Fisher, a first-year student from Nashua, Iowa; Sarah Kucker, a junior from Eagen, Minn.; Nicole Rogers, a junior from Tucker, Ga.; Jasmina Sarajlija, a sophomore from Urbandale; Danielle Wagner, a first-year student from Webster City, Iowa; and Katharine Willey, a first-year student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Elizabeth Vaubel, a senior from Okoboji, Iowa, serves as coach of all three Drake teams. "We've had a lot of fun with our case this year, and we hope to continue building our teams for a great showing at the regional tournament in February. Our goal is to send two teams to the national tournament in Florida," Vaubel said. The third-place team members are Lindsey Andersen, a junior from Apple Valley, Minn.; Justin Carrothers, a senior from Des Moines; John Lande, a junior from Huxley, Iowa; Vaubel; James Wallace, a junior from Des Moines; and Marina Yakhnis, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kan. The fourth-place team members are Tyler Buller, a first-year student from Urbandale; Ellen Cooper, a senior from Dubuque, Iowa; Jeremy DeFoe, a senior from Des Moines; Beth Delvaux, a senior from Des Moines; Van Everett, a first-year student from West Des Moines; Mike Nelson, a junior from Gowrie, Iowa; and Amanda Wilwert, a junior from Mason City, Iowa. Lande was recognized with an outstanding witness award, and Kucker and Carrothers received outstanding attorney awards. Richard M. Calkins pioneered the undergraduate mock trial program in 1985 while he was dean of Drake Law School. He is the current president of the American Mock Trial Association. After an intense rush of brainstorming, writing, editing and designing, senior magazine capstone students at Drake are poised and ready to launch their fall 2006 issue of 515 Magazine. The staff will celebrate the release of its fall issue with a launch party from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, at the Royal Mile, 210 4th St. Des Moines enthusiasts are welcome to pick up a free copy, chat with the staff and enjoy happy hour specials. 515 Magazine provides the recipe for the Royal Mile's Chicken Pasty -- enjoy the tasty entree for only $5.15 during the party. "The students have worked very professionally and diligently on this project," said Lori Blachford, advisor for the course. "The launch party is a great opportunity for them to celebrate their success and to get their magazines into readers' hands." Aimed at 25- to 35-year-old professionals in the Des Moines area, the magazine focuses on moving ahead in the workplace, money management, home decor and entertainment. A fresh round of graduating seniors will produce its own issue for release in the spring. The magazine is produced twice a year thanks to a grant from Meredith Corporation, and 5,000 free copies of the magazine will be circulating Des Moines by the holidays. Residence Life is looking for students to submit ideas to name the apartment development that will represent the Drake and Des Moines community. And not only will the winner be a part of Drake history -- they will also receive a new 4GB iPod Nano. A committee consisting of students, administration and Hubbell representatives will select the winner, which will be announced early next semester. Entries should be submitted via e-mail by December 18 to |
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