August 31, 2009-January 25, 2010

Bonnie Beardsley (Nursing and Health) received an invitation to become an Accreditation Team Leader for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (C.C.N.E.). Beardsley travelled to Washington D.C. on October 29-30 to meet with the Accreditation Board for validation of this honor. The C.C.N.E. ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate and residency programs in nursing.

Eight faculty members participated in the 2009 Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area Scholarship of Pedagogy Symposium on October 17. Participants included Sharon Borowicz (M.B.A.), who presented "Lessons Learned: Training Faculty to Teach in an Asian M.B.A. program;" María de la Cámara (College of Liberal Arts), who presented "Assessing the Service Requirement in the Common Core Program at Benedictine University;" Kevin Doyle (M.B.A.), who presented "Critical Chain Stimulation Exercises;" Chris Fletcher (Theology), who presented "Using Biography in Teaching Social Justice;" Larry Kamin (Biology), who presented "A Five Step Procedure for Inferential Statistical Analyses;" Jeff Madura (Business); Alandra Weller-Clarke (Education), who presented "Constructivist Instruction: Making a Documentary…;" and Ovid Wong (Education), who presented "Understanding I.P.T. and I.S.A.T. Standards through P.B.L."

Maria de la Camara (Liberal Arts) and Don Taylor (Academic Affairs) attended the 37^th Annual Institute for Chief Academic Officers meeting of the Council for Independent Colleges November 7-11. Additionally, de la Camara and Taylor attended the Annual Meeting of the American Benedictine Colleges Chief Academic Officers. de la Camara was a respondent to the Seminar "The Future of the Liberal Arts Curriculum" that was facilitated by Azar Nafisi, Executive Director of Cultural Conversations, Foreign Policy Institute, John Hopkins University and author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books and Things I’ve Been Silent About." Taylor served as chair of the session on "Balancing the Quantitative and the Human Sides of Curriculum Analyses."

Jane Crabtree (Business) will present a research paper titled, "Brother, can you spare a dime? Microlending, Microloans, Microentreprenuers" at the Institute of Applied and Behavioral Management (IBAM) in Washington, D.C. on October 1-3. This paper investigates the growing fields of microfinancing, microloans and microentrepreneurship.

Luann DeGreve (Library Services) contributed a chapter titled "Corporate Culture, Knowledge Management, and Libraries: If We Only Knew What We Know!" in the book "Mistakes in Academic Library Management: Grievous Errors and How to Avoid Them."

Kevin Doyle (M.B.A.), Ph.D. program graduates Mary Lou Kotecki and Deb Shearer and Ph.D. students Chris Garrabrant and Sue Tinnish presented "A Time for Revisiting O.D. Opportunities and Challenges" at the Midwest Academy of Management’s 42^nd Annual Conference, on October 22-24 in Chicago. Doyle also presented "Critical Chain Exercises" at the College Teaching and Learning Conference on January 4-6 in Orlando, Fla.

Jack Fritts (Library Services) edited a book titled "Mistakes in Academic Library Management: Grievous Errors and How to Avoid Them" that has been published by Scarecrow Press. Fritts was also honored with the 2009 Association of College and Research Libraries Distance Learning Section Haworth Press Distance Learning Librarian Conference Sponsorship Award.

Chuck Gahala (Business and Management) had an article published in The Journal of Contemporary Business in July entitled, "The CICP Professional Designation Available through the FCIB: A Focus on the Process and Content Used to Test Proficiency in International Finance."

Cheryl Heinz (Biology) presented "Pondering in the Prairie: Black swallowtails pick a native prairie plant, when they can find it" as an invited speaker at the Feeny Fling Symposium at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York on October 17. The symposium honored long-time faculty member Paul Feeny on the occasion of his pending retirement.

Larry Kamin (Biology) presented a paper at the Lewis University Pedagogy Symposium on October 17 titled, "A Five Step Procedure for Inferential Statistical Analyses." Kamin was also a peer reviewer for the following books: "Intuitive Biostatistics," second edition by Harvey Motulsky; Oxford University Press, chapters 30 – 37 and "Statistics for the Life Sciences," fourth edition by Samuels and Witmer, Pearson Education, Inc., chapter 7 on statistical inference tests.

Phyllis Kittel (Mathematics) published a book titled, "Staying in the Fire: A Sisterhood Responds to Vatican II." Kittel, a member of the Precious Blood community for a decade, draws on personal interviews to tell the story of 40 sisters whose search for meaning and purpose in their lives during a period of radical change has a message of inspiration and hope for women and men in all walks of life. To order a copy of the book, read a sample chapter or learn more about the author, please visit http://www.wovenword.com/id89.htm or to contact Kittel directly, please send an e-mail to pkittel@sbcglobal.net.

Luis Loubriel (Music) published an article titled "Integral Music Performance and Pedagogy: A Post-Secondary Performance and Education Model" in the fall 2009 (Vol. 4 No. 3) issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Integral Theory and Practice. This article is based on the Integral Theories of Ken Wilber, the Theory of "Communities of Practice" by Etienne Wenger, the Spiral Models of Beck and Cowan, and interviews with 20 prominent performers and teachers from Indiana University at Bloomington; Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois; the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; the Minnesota Orchestra and the the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The article was edited by Ken Wilber and it is scheduled for international distribution.

Tim Marin (Chemistry) presented at the 2009 Synchrotron Radiation Center Users’ Meeting in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Marin presented a talk titled "Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Sub- and Supercritical Water."

Marco Masini (Student Life) and Dave Kunka (Auxiliary Enterprises) participated in the HRMS Naperville Sprint Triathlon in Naperville on August 9. Their finishing times were 1:37:53 and 1:38:00, respectively. Masini won the Team HRMS Coach’s Contest and cut 11:32 off his 2008 time.

Scott McCullar (Benedictine University at Springfield) displayed mixed-media drawings in an exhibition, "A Moment of Transition," at Benedictine University at Springfield. McCullar says in his artist’s statement that "A Moment of Transition" catches him "at a time in my life where the status quo has been shaken up" including new responsibilities at work and at play. The exhibition, which includes drawings of various family members and other people in McCullar’s life, is on display through January 20, 2010 in the Charles E. Becker Library.

Ralph Meeker and the College of Science at Benedictine University welcomed Robert M. Panoff, founder and Executive Director of The Shodor Education Foundation, to campus to present the Fourth Annual Valach Lecture on  October 2. The Valach Lecture is supported by the James and Mary Valach Memorial Endowed Chair in the Natural Sciences. Additional support provided by the National Science Foundation allowed Panoff’s stay to extend over three days so that he could conduct a series of professional development workshops for College of Science faculty and for students in the University’s Alternative Teacher Education Program in Science and Mathematics. All science faculty had an opportunity to explore computational thinking as it applies to a broad range of disciplines, including computer science, mathematics, and the natural sciences. Twenty students in the Alternative Teacher Education Program in Science and Mathematics explored computational thinking in the grades 6-12 classroom. Presented in a highly interactive mode, this half-day workshop exposed participants to and inspired them with new techniques, teaching materials and applications to use computational models in the middle school and high school classroom.  

John Morris (Athletics) has been appointed to serve as a representative for the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) to its parent organization, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). NACDA serves as the professional association for those in the field of intercollegiate athletics administration. It provides educational opportunities and serves as a vehicle for networking, the exchange of information, and advocacy on behalf of the profession. NAADD is a professional organization created by intercollegiate athletic directors for intercollegiate athletics development directors. This professional organization provides for the exchange of current trends in intercollegiate fundraising and development. Morris will represent all Division III institutions and will be spreading awareness on the tools and resources provided by NAADD that help development directors to advance their institutions. To view the newly selected representatives, visit http://www.nacda.com/naadd/0809-naadd-conf-rep.html.

Ariel Neff (Library Services) has been awarded an Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

e-Learning webcast scholarship. The purpose of the ACRL e-Learning scholarship is to provide opportunities for librarians, library school students or support staff to update their skills and knowledge by participating in an ACRL e-Learning webcast.

Julie Nelligan (Alumni Relations) presented a workshop at the annual Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District V Conference in Chicago on December 14. The topic was "Alumni Boards: A Blessing or a Curse?"     

Pete Nelson (Physics) received a $2,000 award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for teaching materials he is working on under his National Science Foundation "Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement" grant. The AAMC’s MedEdPORTAL program is geared toward classroom tested and peer-reviewed instructional resources for undergraduate-level courses primarily focusing on human health. Ten $2,000 awards were presented to undergraduate faculty members for innovative learning activities successfully used in the classroom. Nelson has developed modules that introduce biology, life science and physical science majors to fundamental and advanced topics in biophysics and physiological modeling.

Steve Nunes (Moser Center, Adjunct Faculty and Academic Program Coordinator) facilitated a "Developing a Curriculum (DACUM)" workshop on November 14 for adjunct faculty mentors at the Moser College for Adult and Professional Studies. The workshop was the first step towards defining the attributes of excellence for adjunct faculty.  Maintaining and enhancing the quality of its adjunct faculty and implementing a professional development program to meet the specific needs of its instructors are among Moser College’s key initiatives for 2010.

James Pelech (Education) presented "Action Research through a Partnership: An Examination of the Metacognition of Middle School Math Students," which examined how students reflect upon their own thinking, on October 31 at the annual meeting of the Association for Constructivist Teaching in Monterrey, Mexico. The conference was attended by educators and researchers from North America and Mexico.

Tanesha Pittman (College of Adult and Professional Studies) presented on educational opportunities for women at the Women on Work (WOW) event held on January 6 at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Rice Lake Campus. WOW is a career group especially for women and is a place where career-minded individuals find information, professional colleagues and educational opportunities that will help them successfully manage their career. The January 6 event was a forum for women to help each other create a WOW network for themselves. The program also featured Dan Burns, author of "The First 60 Seconds."

Ethel Ragland (Nursing and Health) represented Benedictine University at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing annual fall meeting in Washington, D.C. on October 31-November 3. More than 500 deans and directors from collegiate nursing programs across the United States attended. As part of the Illinois Association of Colleges of Nursing delegation, Ragland visited Capitol Hill and met with the health policy staff of U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Roland Burris.

Carol Swett (International Programs) presented a seminar titled "International Education: Are We Educating Global Citizens of the World?" at the Hawaiian International Conference on Education in January. The workshop included current research in the area of intercultural and global competencies, including the criteria necessary for global citizenship, curricular changes that have to be made in order to teach global competencies and discussions on expectations and measurements of truly globalized citizens.

Martin Tracey (Philosophy) gave a lecture titled "De casu diaboli and the Deontological Character of Anselm’s Moral Thought" at the Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109): Philosophical Theology and Ethics conference at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on September 3. Tracey also presented "A Thomistic Perspective on Species Preservation" at the "Renewing the Face of the Earth: The Church and the Order of Creation" conference at the St. Paul Divinity School of the University of St. Thomas on October 31 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Alandra Weller-Clarke (Education) participated in a special dialogue titled "Mind and Life XIX: Educating World Citizens for the 21^st Century" with the Dalai Lama and world-renowned educators, scientists and contemplatives in Washington D.C. on October 8-9. This special meeting focused on issues including how our educational system can evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and how we can educate people to be compassionate, competent, ethical and engaged citizens in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. 

Ovid Wong (Education) was featured in an article titled "Science Titles" in Science Contours, a University of Alberta faculty of science alumni magazine (Volume 21, Issue 1, Spring 2009). The article documented Wong’s experience and his advice to people thinking about writing a book. Wong also published an article titled "What do Mealworms and Cars Teach Us about Data Collection?" in the Journal of Illinois Science Teachers Association, Vol. 35, No. 2. The article demonstrates the application of science process to acquire knowledge with teaching examples and Illinois Standard Assessment Test samples to show the qualitative and quantitative data collection skills. Additionally, Wong wrote an article titled "Debate for 150 years" for the Herald Monthly, Vol. 23, No. 1, January 2010. The article compares the different view points of evolution, biogenesis and creationism. In November, Wong published a newspaper article titled "Where Do You Go After You Died?" in the Herald Monthly (Vol.22, No.11, November 2009). The article triangulates the after-death concept referencing Erwin Lutzer’s "One Minute After You Died," Don Piper’s "90 Minutes in Heaven" and the Bible. Wong also presented a workshop titled "How do Panches Survive in 2009 and Thrive in 3009?" at the 2009 Illinois Science Teachers Association (I.S.T.A.) convention in Peoria. The workshop discussed the concept that Panches less suited to the environment are less likely to survive and less likely to reproduce following the process of natural selection as described in 1859 by Charles Darwin’s "On the Origin of Species." Additionally, Wong wrote an article titled "The Beginning of Time" for the Monthly Herald (Vol. 22, No. 12, December 2009). The article debates the Big Bang Theory and Intelligent Design and their consequences by random chance and non-directional processes. Wong also wrote a newspaper article titled "The Beginning of Time" for the Monthly Herald (Vol. 22, No. 12, December 2009). The article debates the Big Bang Theory and Intelligent Design and their consequences by random chance and non-directional processes.

Benedictine University faculty, alumni, master’s and doctoral students participated in the 52^nd annual Midwest Academy of Management Conference at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago from October 22-24. Therese Yaeger (M.S.M.O.B./Ph.D.) completed her assignment as the organization’s 2009 program chair and became the 46th president of the Midwest Academy of Management on October 24. "This was a proud moment for Benedictine University," said Peter Sorensen (M.S.M.O.B./Ph.D.). "The Benedictine University College of Business is proud to play a major role in an organization which has produced a number of leading scholars in the field of management. These accomplishments help to secure the Benedictine University Ph.D. and master’s programs as among the preeminent programs in the field." The 2009 Midwest Academy of Management Conference had a record attendance of more than 220 participants and 120 academic sessions, numbers that had not been reported since 1984. Benedictine University was the primary sponsor. Other participating schools included DePaul University, St. Ambrose University, University of Illinois, University of Toledo and Roosevelt University. Additionally, Therese Yaeger and Peter Sorensen presented with O.D. icons Edgar Schein and Edith Seashore at the Annual O.D. Network Conference on October 30. The O.D. Network is the largest and oldest professional association in O.D. The session titled "Icons, Influencers and Interventions: Reflecting on the Evolution and History of O.D." was a "Voice of Experience Session" attended by hundreds of O.D. consultants.