Fall 2021

Find more Liberal Arts highlights in our previous issues.

Fall 2021 Highlights

• 
  Alice Wickliffe
  Class of 2024
  Criminal Justice
• 
  Ms. Yu-Li Alice Shen
  Actor, Playwright & More
  English Department
• 
  Christy Skie
  Class of 2007
  Sociology
• 
  Día de los Muertos
  November 2021

Fall 2021 Review

The USI Foundation has received a $2 million leadership gift from award-winning composer and Posey County-native Philip H. Hagemann for the establishment of a fund to support and develop music programs at USI. In recognition of his contributions to the University and his long and far-reaching career, USI will name its Performing Arts Department within the College of Liberal Arts the Philip H. Hagemann Performing Arts Department. Read more. "The College of Liberal Arts is wholeheartedly appreciative of Dr. Hagemann’s generous gift in support of the music program. This gift will allow for new music curricula and innovative program developments. Furthermore, this will provide transformative opportunities for students to explore a variety of musical genres and advance their skills.” - Dr. Melinda Roberts, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts

95.7 The Spin reporters, (pictured left to right) Nathaniel Barber, Marina Current, and Cole Carter, took home awards from the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. The students were awarded 1st and 3rd place in Radio News Reporting and 1st place in Radio Sports Reporting.

• The McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries (MAC/PACE) opened the academic year with Present Perfect. The exhibition featured the works of artists who have given workshops to the students and the University of Southern Indiana previously but have not previously exhibited at the university.
  
  
• Filmmakers and USI Alums Elizabeth Musgrave, Emily Kirk, and Mikael Drobny visited campus to discuss their respective films, Soundman, Happenstance, and VIRIDIAN, all of which were shown at the Victory International Film Festival in September.

On November 1st, the College of Liberal Arts hosted its first live lecture since the beginning of the pandemic. Ball State University' s Dr. Melinda Messineo delivered "Building Inclusive Excellence: Removing the Structural, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal Barriers that Perpetuate Inequality on our Campuses" as part of USI's prominent Berger Lecture Series.

University of Southern Indiana Distinguished Professor Award Dr. Silvia Rode, Professor of German and Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, was named the 2020 USI Distinguished Professor. Rode joined the USI faculty in 2007 as an Associate Professor of German and Chair of Modern and Classical Languages. During her time at USI, she has led the development of new certificates and the Master of Arts in Second Language Acquisition and Culture.

USI Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award by New Faculty Dr. Srikanth Dandotkar, Assistant Professor of Psychology, was awarded the 2020 USI Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award by New Faculty. Dandotkar joined USI in 2016 and is being recognized for his ability to both teach and assist students throughout the transition to online courses caused by the pandemic, as well as his service as a mentor for a number of his students with Endeavor Research Grants.

Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award Jenn Horn, Instructor in English, was awarded the 2020 H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Teaching Award. Horn, who serves as the First Year Experience Liaison for the College of Liberal Arts as well as a mentor for Living Learning Communities, is also the 2021 recipient of the College of Liberal Arts Excellence in Teaching Award.

Core 39 Director of Assessment Dr. Bartell Berg, Assistant Professor of German in the department of World Languages and Cultures was named the Director of Assessment for the University Core Curriculum (Core 39). He looks forward to fostering a culture of assessment at USI.

Find out more about our faculty, student, and alumni accomplishments and publications on our LA Achievements page.

USI returned to live theatre in October with The Mad Ones. Left to right: Evelyn Pigman, Grace Koltz, Clare McGregor, and Nate Jenkins.

Program Updates

• New to the College of Liberal Arts, The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Teaching and Research Award supports faculty members who are pursuing scholarly or creative work on a specific project related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and/or social justice. This award is intended to promote the understanding of and engagement with equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice-related issues. Projects may include innovative approaches in teaching, research, and service.

• Gender Studies is excited to offer Introduction to Queer Studies for the first time in the spring 2022 semester. A lecture series was held to introduce this new course to students.
  
  
• The Criminal Justice Department launched a new Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (MACJ) program this fall. This completely online program allows students to develop the skills, knowledge, and credentials for career advancement and leadership positions in criminal justice, as well as the ability to move seamlessly into a doctoral program.

• The College of Liberal Arts now offers an interdisciplinary Religious Studies minor. This interdisciplinary minor includes courses from disciplines such as philosophy, political science, history, economics, English, and art history. This minor prepares students to think critically about how religion can influence social policy and law, to compare world religions and their religious texts, and to understand the philosophical and ethical problems of various religious world views.

Upcoming Events

• November 30・CJSE Webinar Conspiracy Theories. Free and open to the public, 4 P.M. on Zoom
  
  
• December 2・Global Salon Series The Specter of Colonial Violence: The Strangler Vine and ‘Thugs’ in America. Open to the public 2 P.M. on Zoom

• December 5・USI Jazz Ensemble Performance. Free and open to the public. 7 P.M. in the Performance Center

• December 8・Holiday Sing Along

• December 18・Commencement Ceremony

• January 10・Spring Semester begins

Save the Date

• January 21・Liberal Arts Faculty Colloquium Is Avoiding Meat Healthy? Free and open to the public, 3 P.M. on Zoom

• February 23 ・Distinguished Scholar Series featuring Marisa Kwiatkowski and Tim Evans, reporters who helped expose Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics

• February 24・Mandela Social Justice Day featuring author, musician, and speaker Simon Tam

-RHIZA: an installation of experimental works, by USI alumna Katherine Watts is currently on display at McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries through December 10. This collection of artworks focuses on an immersive experience of local ecology, as well as the dichotomous relationship of humanity and nature.