Dear Bellarmine Students, Faculty and Staff,

December is always a very busy month, especially as the Fall term comes to a close. In the midst of this activity, I extend to you and yours my very best wishes for a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year.

Mock Trial Victory

The Bellarmine Mock Trial Team, under the expert guidance of James Wagoner, Jason Butler and Matt Rich, had a great month in November. In an invitational tournament on the first weekend of November, hosted by the University of Virginia, they beat the teams of George Washington University, Yale, Cornell, Michigan, Harvard, Princeton and University of Virginia to take first place.

The second weekend of November they traveled to New York University with the younger members of the team and placed second against teams including Harvard, Furman, Rhodes, Cornell and Michigan.

In Bellarmine’s Invitational Tournament, which was held last weekend they tied for fourth place against schools such as UCLA, George Washington and Duke. Congratulations to all for such notable victories.

2008 Study Abroad Photo Contest Winners

The 2008 Study Abroad Photo contest was a success and we had many exceptional entries. Congratulations to these winners:

Landscapes Category
First Place: A Distant Horizon by Alex Green
Second Place: Prince’s Street Gardens by Brittany McGarry
Honorable Mention: Nature’s Window by Caroline Petrik

People and Cultures
First place: Every Morning by Samantha Workman
Second place: Happily Ever After by Lisa Abell
Honorable Mention: A Day in the Fields by Alex Green and Lights of London by Lisa Abell

Visit our photos page to view these wonderful photos.

Freshmen get involved

One of our Freshmen Focus classes of 14 students collected $275 with their old-fashioned rock-a-thon to purchase the material to make blankets for the homeless this winter.

Alumni-Nursing and Business

Michelle Spurlock, RN, MBA (BSN and MBA from Bellarmine University) has accepted the position of Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Congratulations and good luck with your new position Michelle.

December 2008 commencement

Bellarmine will award more than TK degrees during its annual December commencement exercises on Wednesday, December 17. Ceremonies will begin at 5 p.m. in Knights Hall with TK delivering the commencement address. Honorary degrees will be awarded to TK and TK. Another highlight of the commencement exercises will be awarding the Archbishop's Medal of Scholastic Excellence, which is awarded to the graduate(s) having the highest cumulative grade point average. For information about cap and gown pick up and other details, consult the graduation website. Good luck graduates.

Bellarmine University Professors Dominate Metroversity Awards

I am pleased to announce that several Bellarmine University professors captured three of four Kentuckiana Metroversity Instructional Development awards. Karen Golemboski and Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty each collected $1,000 for their respective proposals. Steven D. Wilt and David J. Porta shared a $1,000 prize for their joint proposal. To read the full story click here.

Princeton Review: Bellarmine Graduate School of Business Ranks Among Top in the Country

I am proud to say that The Princeton Review has named the Bellarmine University School of Business one of the country’s best destinations for graduate school. The test preparation company – also known for its lists of college rankings – had previously designated Bellarmine one of the best colleges in the country and one of the best southeastern colleges. Thank you to all who make our program successful. For more details, click here.

Bellarmine University “Knights” E.ON U.S. CEO Victor Staffieri

Bellarmine University “knighted” Victor Staffieri, CEO of E.ON U.S. at the university’s annual Knight of Knights black-tie dinner and dance celebration on Saturday, Nov. 15. The honor has been bestowed upon an individual since 1998 in recognition of outstanding support and service to Bellarmine University. Congratulations Sir Victor.

Remembering Merton

On the 40th anniversary of the death of Trappist monk Thomas Merton, ceremonies and gatherings across the country celebrate his life and mission. An extensive profile went up on the PBS website Friday, including an in-depth interview with Dr. Paul Pearson, the director and archivist for the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine. The interview can be accessed here.

Departmental News

Biology Department

Four Biology students, and several Biology faculty members, presented their research at the annual meeting of the Kentucky Academy of Science held at the University of Kentucky in early November, 2008.

Sanda Zolj presented an oral presentation on the “Isolation of triterpenoids from reishi mushroom and their anti-cancer effects.” She won second place in the undergraduate research competition for this talk.

Melissa Pawley presented a poster on “Does the reishi mushroom induce apoptosis in female lung cancer?” She won second place in the undergraduate research competition for this poster. Drs. Joann Lau, Dave Robinson and Mary Huff were co-authors of these two papers on cancer.

Elisabeth Shaw presented an oral presentation on the “Continued Studies of Ventral Eversible Gland Function and Composition in Velvetbean Caterpillars, Anticarsia gemmatalis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).” This research was co-authored by Dr. Anthony Lentz.

Matthew Galante presented a poster on “The effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) biosynthesis in lymphoblast cells from bipolar disorder patients.” He was also a co-author on a poster called “BDNF Expression in Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines Carrying BDNF SNPs Associated with Bipolar Disorder.” This research was carried out at the University of Louisville Health Science Center during a summer internship funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Drs. Dave Robinson and Joann Lau presented a pedagogical poster at the meeting titled “Bring biomedical research into your classroom with The Ambrosia Project.”

Communication Department

Professor Winnie Spitza organized and publicized a visit by 5 Kentucky and Ohio law school representatives at Bellarmine on Oct. 1st. The reps talked with about 12 undergraduate students who are interested in attending law school after graduation.
She also took 6 Bellarmine students to the IU Law Fair Day on Oct. 6 to talk with representatives from 140 different law schools from across the U.S.

On Nov. 18th Prof. Spitza organized a powerful presentation by Jo Lawless, U.S. Attorney, who discussed her passion for public service and the law. About 60 students attended the discussion where Ms. Lawless gave an in-depth look into prosecuting child exploitation cases throughout Kentucky. She is the Project Safe Childhood coordinator for the Western District of Kentucky.

Also on Nov. 18, she proctored a small group of students who took the 3 1/2 hour practice LSAT. She is coordinating with a representative from Kaplan Testing Center to present a 2 hour test strategy session for Friday, Nov. 21. Any interested student is welcome to come and attend this free session in Horrigan Hall Room 106.

Dr. Lara Hayes Needham coordinated and hosted the Public Relations Panel with the Communication Directors for Mayor Abramson and Governor Beshear on October 21. It was well attended.

Dr. David Meyers presented a paper “Convergence 2008,” about blog support for education, at a conference in Somerset, Kentucky. He has also been selected to teach abroad in China in 2009.

Dr. Ruth Wagoner and Adam Molnar from the Math Department are conducting research with the attorneys who judge the Mock Trial Teams. This will be ongoing during the school year.

Dr. Gail Henson helped to coordinate the Festival of Faiths in Louisville this fall and brought Dr. Stephen Prothero, author of Religious Literacy: What Every American Need to Know - and Doesn’t, to campus for a radio broadcast and luncheon involving several key religious and educational leaders here in town.

Clinical Laboratory Science

Congratulations to Dr. Karen Golemboski, the recipient of the Metroversity Award for Instructional Development. The award is presented following peer review for her development of “The Atlantic Storm: A Global Bioterrorism Scenario.”

Education Department

Bellarmine University education professor Robert B. Cooter has received the A.B. Herr Award from the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers. The association presents the award annually to a professional educator who has made outstanding contributions to the field of reading. Cooter received the award at the association’s annual meeting in Sarasota, Fla., on Nov. 7.

International Program News

Gabriele W. Bosley, International Programs Director and Associate Professor of Foreign Languages/German, was an invited speaker and partially funded by the European Federation of Intercultural Learning at the Berlin Academy of Sciences and Humanities on October 14 on "Moving beyond Mobility: Targeted Intervention in International Learning".

Professor Bosley was invited and partially funded by the Coimbra Group (a group of leading European universities committed to influencing European educational policy for the benefit of internationalization, academic collaboration, excellence in learning, research, and service.) to contribute to a leadership seminar at the University of Graz, October 15-18. Besides Bellarmine's IPO Director, the group of 21 invited leaders in international education included Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Cambridge.

Gabriele Bosley was an invited speaker on "Targeted Meta-level Intervention in Cultural Immersion Abroad" at the 2008 CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) Conference in Nashville on November 13.

For 2009, Gabriele has received three invitations to present on intercultural education: the 2009 Forum on Study Abroad in Portland, OR, and the 2009 European Association of International Educators in Madrid, Spain, and to contribute to a book on international learning at the University of Leeds in England.

Music Department

Associate Professor of Music, Richard Burchard, will have two of his choral compositions published by Gentry Publications in Los Angeles, CA. Miserere Mei for 8-part a cappella choir will be featured in Gentry's 2009 music catalogue and Creator Alme Siderum for 5-voice a cappella choir will be featured in their 2010 catalogue. Both pieces can be heard here.

Nursing

BSN students, Sherri Ryan, Matt Starr, and Lisa Wheeler, had their article, SCDs Bring Sexy Back, published in DATA BITS of the Kentucky Nurse.

Dr. Sherill Cronin’s article Work-Life Blend in Healthcare, was published for Quit Studer of the Studer Group.

Dr. Sherill Cronin and Dr. Elizabeth Fitzgerald have had their manuscript accepted for publication. Fitzgerald, EM, Cronin, SN, & Campinha-Bacote, J. ( In press). Psychometric testing of the inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competency Among Healthcare Professionals-Student Version (IAPCC-SV). Journal of Cultural Diversity, 16, (4).

Dr. Sherill Cronin and Professor Barbara Lee have had a chapter, Caring Behaviors Assessment, published in the 2nd edition of Jean Watson’s book, Assessing and Measuring Caring in Nursing and Health Sciences.

Dr. Elizabeth Fitzgerald’s poster, using Positive Social Norms marketing to Reduce Tobacco Use by Hispanic/Latino Women of Child Bearing Age, was accepted for presentation at the Kentucky Nurses Association Annual Meeting, Louisville.

Dr. Connie Cooper has been selected as the NLN Ambassador for the Lansing School of Nursing

Three Nursing faculty members will be conducting study aboard Sumer 2009: Dr. Elizabeth Fitzgerald, IDC 301 Mexico. Professor Mary Ellen Pike, IDC 301 and Nursing 455, Bellarmine courses, Riga, Latvia Dr. Linda Cain, N663/PT691, Professional graduate education, Preceptorships, Romania.

Physical Therapy

Dr. David Boyce presented at the American Medical Writers Association, 68th Annual Conference in October. His presentation, “Treating Work-Related Injuries of the Upper Limb: What Does the Evidence Say?”, examined the most recent evidence related to recognizing, evaluating and treating work-related injuries with emphasis on physical therapy interventions and application of ergonomic principles.

In 2008, eight faculty member in the PT Department, Lonnemann, Danzel, Boyce, Wiegand, Gillette, Brosky, D. Pariser, G. Pariser, have published 16 publications, peer reviewed. Many of these professional articles have been published with DPT students. For 2009, Professors Ennis, Lonnemann, Brosky, Wiegand, DPariser, GPariser and Ennis have had manuscripts accepted for publication. Several of these articles will be published again in collaboration with DPT students.

Theology Department News
Daniel G. Groody, CSC, Ph.D. will give the annual Theology Lecture on “Crossing the Divide: Immigration, Spirituality, and the Human Journey” on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 in Hilary’s at 7:30 PM. Please mark your calendar.

Fr. Groody is Assistant Professor of Theology at Notre Dame University and Director of the Center for Latino Spirituality and Culture there. He has spent many years working in Latin America, particularly along the Mexico-U.S. border. He is the author of "Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit", and "Globalization, Spirituality and Justice: Navigating the Path to Peace" (2007). He is also editor of two books, "The Option for the Poor in Christian Theology" (2007), and co-editor of "A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration" (2007).

Staff News

A Meeting of Angels: The Correspondence of Thomas Merton with Edward Deming and Faith Andrews edited and introduced by Paul M. Pearson. (Frankfort, KY: Broadstone Books, 2008.)