Announcements
Retirement Planning Task Force
This fall a task force of faculty, staff and administrators from across campus having been working with consultants from Aon Hewitt to consider changes to our retirement plan. We hope that you can find time next week to attend an open forum to learn about the background, process and the task force's proposed changes as well as a timeline for possible implementation.
Task force members include: Sheri Curran, David English, Bill Estes, Laura Ford, Darlene Link, Mindi Mull, April Peterson, Tammy Showers, David Snowball, and Matt Walsh.
These sessions will be led by Rob Reisktyl from Aon Hewitt and there will be plenty of time for Q&A.
Session options are as follows:
Monday, January 14th
- 3:30 -5:00 PM: Wilson Center
Tuesday, January 15th
- 8:00 - 9:30 am: Wilson Center
- 10:00 - 11:30 Am: College Center Loft
- 1:00 - 2:30 PM: College Center Loft
- 3:30 - 5:00 PM: Wilson Center
Wednesday, January 16th
- 7:30 - 9:00 AM: College Center Board Room
- 9:30 - 11:00 AM: College Center Board Room
"WOODY AT 100"
With Musician and Singer Paul Cioe & Friends
Monday, January 14, 2013
7:00 PM
Wallenberg Hall, Denkmann Building
You missed it! Woody Guthrie, composer of "This Land is Your Land," turned 100 in 2012. Even though a new year is upon us and Woody is now 101, you a have chance to celebrate his music and legacy by attending the "Woody at 100" concert on Monday, January 14, and by visiting the library's exhibit about Woody, located on 2nd floor. A prolific writer, singer, and visual artist, Woody Guthrie championed the working man and woman through his music. Along with Pete Seeger and others, Woody gave folk music a shape and direction in the mid-20th century, and he gave us songs that have become a vital part of our folk song treasury. Join the fun and celebrate Woody on January 14. Admission is free.
LUNCH AND LEARN
Thursday, January 17, 2013
12:-00 Noon - 1:00 PM
On January 17, get behind the scenes and learn about construction at the library and Center for Student Life during a one-hour lunch and learn starting at noon. Hear from key campus leaders and a representative from Russell Construction about purpose, progress and more.
Speakers include Jay Wagner from Russell Construction, as well as Evelyn Campbell, Carla Tracy and Garry Griffith of Augustana College. Space is limited (25 people max.), so please contact Keri Rursch promptly if you'd like to attend. Bring your lunch.
THE POWER OF ONE
Community Celebration & Musical Tribute Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
6:00 PM
Centennial Hall
Augustana College and the Dr. King Celebration Committee invite members of the Quad-Cities community to join us for the annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as the legacy of this great leader is celebrated through powerful speakers, music and dance. Special performers include the Community Gospel Chorus, The Westbrook Singers, Augustana's Gospel Choir, and The Truth Temple Praise Dancers. Sending delivered by the Rev. Dwight Ford, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center Director.
Inauguration Day 2013 at Augustana Viewing Event
Monday, January 21, 2013
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Evald Great Hall
President Barack Obama will be sworn in for his second term of office on Inauguration Day, Monday, January 21, 2013. The Augustana College Democrats are hosting an open viewing event from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the Carlsson Evald Great Hall. Members of the Political Science and Communication Studies faculty will be in attendance throughout the day's events to answer questions. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10:30 CST.
WINTER SYMPOSIUM DAY RESOURCES
Symposium Day: Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Based on feedback from students and faculty after the Fall Symposium Day, the format of the Winter Symposium day has been slightly altered (see below). We will offer the keynote address twice in Centennial Hall rather than bringing the entire campus community together during one keynote address in Carver Arena. Half the student body will attend the keynote address at 10:00 AM while the other half will participate in concurrent sessions at that time. At 11:15 AM, half of the students will attend concurrent session II while the rest of the students each lunch. This schedule will allow students to attend more than one concurrent session. At this point, we do not expect students to pre-register for sessions, although this is something we might consider for future symposia. Our plan is to run 8-9 concurrent presentations during each of our three scheduled times for concurrent sessions.
| |
|
Off campus volunteering |
| 9:00-9:45 |
Advising Group Discussion |
Advising Group Discussion |
| 10:00-11:00 |
Keynote Address I/ Concurrent Session I |
Keynote Address I |
| 11:15-12:15 |
Concurrent Session II /lunch |
lunch |
| 12:30-1:30 |
Keynote Address II / Lunch |
Volunteering |
| 1:45-2:45 |
Concurrent Sessions III |
|
| 3:00-3:45 |
Advising Group Meetings |
Advising Group Meetings |
You are critical to the day's success. To volunteer to lead a concurrent session, please sign up on the form found here.
THE AUGUSTANA CENTER FOR POLAR STUDIES WINTER SCIENCE LECTURE
"Greenland Ice Climate Sensitivity"
Dr. Jason Box of the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University
January 31, 2013
7:00 PM
Hanson Hall of Science 102
Dr. Jason Box has been investigating Greenland ice sheet sensitivity to weather and climate as part of 23 expeditions to Greenland since 1994. His time camping on the inland ice exceeds one year. His research examines the interactions of ice with atmospheric and ocean systems, including the role of fire in darkening the cryosphere. Dr. Box is a contributing author to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007. Contact Jennifer Burnham x 7845 with any questions.
HASSELMO PRIZE FOR ACADEMIC PURSUIT
Nominate your best grad school-bound student!
Deadline for Nominations is January 25, 2013
Dr. Nils Hasselmo recently funded a generous prize for an outstanding student who is planning a career in higher education. Department chairs are asked to nominate a student (Class of 2014) who shows promise as a college teacher or researcher. Funds from the prize can be used to support student research or creative endeavors, attend professional meetings, travel to special collections, laboratories or other resources, or any unique academically rigorous opportunity not typically available. The prize must be used during the 2013-2014 school year (including summer, 2013). Once the awardee is selected, the student will be asked to design a plan for using the funds to pursue his or her interests. A brief description of the award can be read HERE. Please contact Margaret Farrar if you have questions.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP
The Faculty Development Working Group invites you to contribute to our ongoing discussions about the future of faculty development efforts at Augustana. Currently our committee is thinking about several areas of faculty development:
- New faculty orientation, new faculty programming, and mentoring
- Faculty development for visiting, adjunct, and part time faculty
- Engaging senior faculty, including emeriti faculty
- Faculty retreats for scholarship, course redesign, or career planning
- Building community through social events
- The Celebration of Scholarship
- The organizational structure of and faculty participation in a faculty development center
- Faculty awards, grants, and grant writing
We'll be hosting some sort of conversation on these topics later this academic year, but if you have something -- anything-- to say about any of these topics, please feel free to call or email one of the Working Group members: Katie Hanson, Mindi Mull, John Pfautz, Eric Stewart, Bob Tallitsch, Paul Weissburg, or Margaret Farrar. We'd love to hear from you!
Working Draft:
Mission Statement for Proposed Faculty Development Initiative
The Faculty Development Center at Augustana College provides faculty with the opportunities and resources to experience growth and renewal in the myriad ways they serve the College: as teachers, scholars, advisors, leaders, ambassadors, entrepreneurs, and campus citizens. Faculty development at Augustana is inclusive, collaborative, and ongoing.
Inclusive: We welcome all faculty, including those who are tenured, tenure-track, non-tenure track, administrative faculty, and staff whose work impacts our students. We offer a wide range of programs and support for faculty work.
Collaborative: Faculty development is a partnership that can only occur in a community characterized by mutual trust and respect. We help build that community in two ways: first, by facilitating conversations and building partnerships among those with common interests and goals. Second, we are attentive to faculty as whole people, whose professional development is intrinsically related to personal well-being.
Ongoing: The FDC aims to be relevant to faculty at all stages of their career, from those interviewing for positions to retirement and beyond. Our programs and workshops help faculty respond to the new challenges and possibilities of a rapidly changing academic environment.
NEW BIBLE STUDY FOR AUGUSTANA FACULTY, STAFF, ADMINISTRATORS
"Soul Centering Through Nature"
Wednesdays
Noon - 12:50 PM
Chicago Room, College Center
In keeping with the focus upon the natural world in our January 23 Symposium Day, Wednesday Noon Bible study for faculty, staff, and administrators will explore the theme of Soul Centering Through Nature in the coming weeks. Two prominent wisdom teachers will be our guides via videotape: Richard Rohr, Franciscan priest and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM, and Bill Plotkin, depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and founder of Colorado's Animas Valley Institute. Each of our 50-minute Wednesday sessions will begin by viewing a 30-minute presentation by Rohr or Plotkin and end with 20 minutes of discussion led by Kristen Glass Perez and Richard Priggie, Augustana's chaplains.
Specific questions we will consider include:
- What if our souls were our "ultimate place, our unique role or destiny, in the more-than-human world"? (Plotkin)
- What are "the nine initiations of life"? (Plotkin) How many have you experienced?
- What is the particular role of rites of pasage in our psycho-spiritual development? (Plotkin)
- Why is "authentic inner experience" critically important for being Christian (or being fully human)? (Rohr)
- What are the implications of the fact that the vast majority of creatures saved on Noah's ark were animals? (Rohr)
- What is "Christ consciousness" and how does it involve us in the natural world? (Rohr)
This is a no-guilt Bible study. Bring your lunch if you wish. Attend when you can. Miss when you must.
11TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL
Saturday, February 2, 2013
5:00 - 7:00 PM
College Center Dining Room
The Office of International Programs will host the 11th Annual International Food Festival. Join us for an all-you-care-to-eat buffet of dishes from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. Tickets are $15 per person or $26 for two people, and $7 for children age 9 and younger. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and serving concludes at 7:00 p.m. Seating is limited, and there are no reserved seats for this event. For additional information, please visit http://www.augustana.edu/foodfest or contact Jane Tiedge. Tickets for the 11th Annual International Food Festival are available through the Ticket Office. For menu and details, go to http://www.augustana.edu/x11272.xml.
PARENT'S NIGHT OUT
January 26, 2013
5:00 - 8:00 PM
Carver Center
Augustana College Campus Ministries will be hosting a Parent's Night Out on January 26th in Carver Center from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Money raised through this fund-raiser will be used for their Spring Break service trip to Appalachia. The cost of the event will be $10 per child for the night. Drop off your child(ren) for an hour or three and take some time to yourself. Your kids will be entertained with games, activities and fun. You will be able to relax. Due to limitations in our facilities, we cannot accept any child that is not potty-trained. Please feed your child a meal before the event as we will only have some snack food provided.
Please sign up in advance so that volunteers and activities can be coordinated by filling out the attached form and email it to rebeccapotenberg11@augustana.edu by Sunday, January 20th.
If you have any questions about the event, or about Campus Ministries' service trip to Appalachia, please email hannahbohn10@augustana.edu.
PROMOTING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH:
SHARING BEST PRACTICES
Saturday, April 6, 2013
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Augustana College
CALL FOR PRESENTERS: Undergraduate research has been identified as a high-impact practice that fosters student development, leads to greater levels of retention and persistence, and encourages synthesis and engagement.
- What do you do at your college or university to promote student research?
- Do you offer programs or support for students?
- Do you reward faculty involvement in research?
- Do you celebrate the work students do?
- Do you assess outcomes?
- What issues have you encountered?
- What have been your successes?
If you are interested in sharing how your institution has addressed these and other related questions, contact Ellen Hay. This one-day conference is designed to stretch faculty development funds through collaboration and exchange. It will feature a keynote speaker, concurrent sessions and a working lunch. Submissions are due by Friday, February 22, 2013.
CVs FOR ACCREDITATION
As you know, preparations are getting underway for the Higher Learning Commission accreditation. One of the things we need to accomplish is an archive of all current faculty CVs. Please email a copy of your current CV to Steve Klien, Chair of Faculty Welfare Committee, at your earliest convenience.
MIDWEST FACULTY SEMINAR TOPICS 2012-2013
Again this year, Augustana College will participate in the Midwest Faculty Seminars sponsored by the University of Chicago. Participation permits the College to send two faculty members to any single seminar. Below are the dates and titles of the four 2012-2013 seminars. If you are interested in attending any of these, please contact Margaret Farrar. Margaret will nominate you and send the registration form to you for completion. You are responsible for making your own travel and accommodation arrangements. If you choose to reserve a single room, the Office of Academic Affairs will cover the costs associated with that. All Pcard receipts are to be submitted to Sherry Docherty.
Islam in/and the West
February 21-23, 2013
Deadline to contact Margaret Farrar: Friday, January 18, 2013
Deadline for Registration: Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Almost from its beginnings, Islam has been regarded by many European historians, theologians, political figures and others as a threat to the political and cultural traditions of the West. A great many Islamic thinkers, for their part, have participated in the construction of this relationship, too, treating the values espoused by Europeans and their heirs as fundamentally antagonistic to the ideals embraced by most of the inhabitants of the Islamic world. As a consequence, the history of this relationship has often been represented as one of ongoing conflict-a conflict that in many respects seems to continue to this day.
There is, however, another version of this story, one that the popularity of ideas about the "clash of civilizations" make rather hard to see. Indeed, while the history of Islam and the West often seems to be one of interminable conflict, there are numerous instances of conviviality and cooperation as well. Arab scholars were, for instance, instrumental in preserving and advancing the thought of the ancient Greeks. Generations of Christian theologians have looked with great admiration on the text of Islamic religious tradition. And in the past as well as the present, successive waves of population movements between East and West have made the putative opposition between Islam and Western Civilization harder and harder to believe.
This seminar, therefore, tries to go beyond the so-called "clash of civilizations" thesis in order to examine the shared histories of Islam and the West at sites throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the United States. It begins with an examination of the relations among Judaism, Christianity and Islam from the time of Prophet Muhammad through to the Middle Ages, with a particular focus on the complexities of varied forms of intellectual and religious history. What defines the relations among the three Abrahamic faiths at the moment of Islam's founding? How do varied communities of believers come to understand the differences between one another? And in what ways have otherwise forgotten forms of cultural and intellectual exchange informed the histories of Christianity, Judaism and Islam as we understand them in the present?
The seminar continues with an exploration of Islam and the culture and politics of the West in the 19th and 20th centuries. How have colonial encounters between Muslims and Christians informed the meaning of modernity in the East and the West? How does the spread of Islam throughout the globe change the way we think about religion, secularism, and the nature of the public sphere? And what does the proliferation of new media technologies, transnational solidarities, and reformist political movements presage for the future of politics in North Africa, the Middle East and beyond?
While our ways of talking about "Islam" and "the West" often invoke a mutual antagonism that seems to span the ages, the historical realities this seminar tracks are much more complicated than such rhetoric suggests. By examining the often intimate forms of relation at work in the history of Islam and the West, the seminar hopes, in the end, to chart a new trajectory for thinking about Islam as a religious, cultural and political influence in the world today.
Presenters will include Rashid Khalidi (History-Columbia), Fred Donner (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures), Isa Hussin (Political Science), James T. Robinson (Divinity) in addition to other faculty in the humanities and social sciences.
Climate Change Across the Disciplines
April 18-20, 2013
The problem of climate change has of late become the source of numerous critically important academic debates. Often, however, academic discussion of the topic has been limited to the biological and physical sciences, those areas of inquiry that have done the most to bring its challenges into view. This seminar therefore proposes to examine the problem of climate change from the perspectives of the humanities and the humanistic social sciences in order to better understand the problems climate change poses for the project of humanistic inquiry. How does anthropogenic climate change challenge the way we think about ethics, politics and history? In what way does a problem like climate change alter our approaches to the study of literature and other cultural objects? Are the disciplines as constituted adequate to the task? Or does climate change foretell not just substantial changes in the way we organize our economic life, but in the way we organize our forms of knowledge as well?