Our campus community celebrated and honored the Franciscan legacy of our university, especially the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, at the ninth annual Blessing of the Animals on Oct. 7. About 70 people, and not quite as many dogs (including my own Rosie and Dooney), participated in this lovely ceremony presided over by Fr. Adam Bunnell that taps into the very joyful side of our faith.

We associate St. Francis with a Prayer for Peace attributed to him, as well as his gentle spirit around animals, of course, but he has also become the patron of the environment because of his Canticle of Brother Son and Sister Moon. In light of this, we made an addition to our program this year, reciting the St. Francis Climate Covenant Pledge to protect the environment.

An Economic Roundtable

Nearly 200 people joined us in the Cralle Theatre on Oct. 7 for a thoughtful discussion about the economy.

At this roundtable event, titled “The Economic Storm: Weather the future by understanding the past,” faculty from the Department of Economics and Finance took questions from reporters and audience members about what recession and recovery efforts really mean, discussed proposals for a realistic fix and helped put the current situation into historical context.

It was a great community outreach event that also allowed us to showcase our talented faculty. Participating in the roundtable were Dr. Frank Raymond, Dr. Dan Bauer, Dr. Myra McCrickard, Dr. Bradley Stevenson, Mr. Robert Brown and Mr. Carl Hafele.

International Concert planned

The Music Department will present an International Concert at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Cralle Theatre. The following faculty members will perform: Ms. Christina Bouras Recktenwald, voice; Ms. Karen Lord Powell, violin; Ms. Kathy Karr, flute; Ms. Marilyn Nije, clarinet; Ms. Meme Tunnell, piano; Mr. Ya Ya Diallo, drums; and Mr. Todd Hildreth, accordion. The concert will feature composers from the countries that our international students come from, including Austria, Spain, China, Finland, Canada, Germany, Thailand, Korea, and South Africa, just to mention a few! Telemann, Schubert, Saint Saens and Berwald are among the featured composers. A reception will follow the concert.

Hello and Goodbye

Ms. Stephanie Barclay has joined the Division of Student Affairs as director of campus recreation, a position that includes operation of the SuRF Center. Ms. Barclay comes to us from Chicago, where she was the North Park University director of wellness and intramural sports and a member of the exercise science faculty. She has a master’s degree from Illinois State University in exercise physiology and a bachelor’s from the University of Illinois in kinesiology. Mrs. Alice Kimble, who formerly shared the responsibility of campus recreation director in addition to her role as the campus nurse, will now focus full-time on health services as the director of health services. We extend our thanks to Mrs. Kimble for so capably holding down both forts, as well as to Mr. Chuck Vogt for his continued support of campus recreation and intramurals.

Mr. Carl White joined the men’s basketball coaching staff as a part-time assistant coach. He had served as the assistant head and JV coach at Eastern High School in Louisville since 2005. Prior to coaching at Eastern, Mr. White was the head coach at Crosby Middle School, and he has worked at Rick Pitino’s University of Louisville Basketball Camp.

Ms. Lia Ramirez has joined the library staff as a new circulation assistant, covering the evening shift from 3 p.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday. Ms. Ramirez is a graduate of Centre College, where she earned a BA in music.

Mrs. Shawna Ropp, director of special events, resigned in October to spend more time with her infant daughter, Naomi. Mrs. Ropp was a valued member of the special events team for nine years, first as assistant director and for the past year as director. We wish her, husband Scott and Naomi all the best.

Faculty and Staff News and Achievements

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Kingsolver, dean and director of the Center for Regional Environmental Studies, on his recent marriage to the former Paula Barth, now Mrs. Paula Kingsolver.

Mrs. Leslie Maxie-Ashford, associate dean of Residence Life, and Ms. Janelle Briscoe, Graduate Hall director, were chosen recently to serve as representatives to the Kentucky Association of Housing Officers’ governing board. KAHO is the housing and residence association for all Kentucky post-secondary institutions.

School of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Anthony O’Keeffe, professor of English, is contributing a chapter, “Mister Secrets: Digital Multimodal Composing and the Complicated Invitation to Remake Text, Author, and Audience,” to a digital book, The New Work of Composing (Utah State Press).

The poem “Adagio” by Mr. Frederick Smock, assistant professor of English, has been accepted for publication in The Hudson Review.

The essay “Religion and Broadway: 1900-2005” by Dr. John Gatton, professor of English, appears in the two-volume Broadway: An Encyclopedia of Theatre and American Culture, to be published this December by Greenwood Press. (The editor is Thomas Greenfield, former dean of Arts and Sciences at Bellarmine.)

Mr. Carlos Chavarria, director of the Theater Program, has an article published in a special edition of the Latin American Theatre Journal, which focuses on U.S./Latino theater artists and comes out this November. The article features an interview with Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, a Latino immigrant theatre artist who has been adapting the “Linklater” voice technique for bilingual actors. The journal is distributed internationally.

Dr. Akhtar Mahmood, associate professor of Physics, has received a research grant of $25,000 from NASA to conduct a collaborative research project with CalTech’s Jet Propulsion Lab to search for extrasolar, Earth-like planets with NASA’s SIM-Lite project. Two BU students, Ben Draper and Richard Jelsma, will also be working on this project. SIM-Lite, currently under development, is one of NASA’s most ambitious scientific projects. The primary mission goal is to search for Earth-sized terrestrial planets in the habitable zone orbiting the nearby stars and to measure the precise positions of these stars to enable accurate mass determinations of the orbiting planets.

Ms. Christine Hutchins, adjunct faculty in Global Languages and Cultures, completed a 16.5-hour training session in October. The Street Law Institute for Court Interpreters Workshop was sponsored by the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts’ Division of Interpreting Services. In addition to teaching Chinese at Bellarmine, Ms. Hutchins is studying to take the state oral examination in Chinese, which would then make her the first court-certified interpreter of Chinese in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Dr. David L. Mosley, associate professor of Philosophy, will present a paper in April 2010 at the 10th International Conference on Interdisciplinary Musicology at the University of Belgrade (Serbia). The conference is sponsored by the Belgrade University Faculty of the Arts and its theme is “Between Nostalgia, Utopia and Realities.” His paper is titled “The Sounds of Saba: the Epiphany Gradual ‘Omnes de Saba’ as a Musical Memory Place.”

Ms. Caren Cunningham, professor of Art, exhibited at three venues this past summer and fall:

At Yew Dell Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition 2009, she exhibited three sculptures and sold them all opening night. Yew Dell Gardens in Crestwood is a botanical garden dedicated to garden education, exquisite display and research into new and superior plants for the region.

She installed four sculptures at Hidden Hill Nursery & Sculpture Garden, a unique mini-arboretum, sculpture gallery and unusual plant nursery in Southern Indiana about eight miles from Louisville.

A solo exhibition of 12 limestone sculptures is currently on display at the Smith Berry Winery in Henry County. The works are up to 7 feet tall and 1,000 pounds.

From Sept. 11 to Oct. 11, the McGrath Gallery hosted an exhibit of photographs by Ms. Laura Hartford, assistant professor of Art. Courier-Journal art critic Diane Heilenman selected the reception as her “Where I’ll Be” recommendation on opening night. This fall, Ms. Hartford’s work has also been included in the exhibits “Contemporary Art at the Kinsey Institute” in Bloomington, Ind., and “The World Is My Family” in Perm, Russia. On June 19, the National Infantry Museum opened its doors in Columbus, Ga. Included in the museum are more than 30 media programs Ms. Hartford managed through development as an associate producer at Donna Lawrence Productions between 2004 and 2007.

Mr. Richard Burchard, associate professor of music, has been appointed composer-in-residence with Voces Novae for the 2009-10 concert season. Burchard will compose eight new works for the choir. The appointment will culminate in a CD release and full performance of Burchard’s works in November 2010.

Mr. David Dominé was featured as the guest chef on a new cooking show on KET called Southern Style Gourmet. In Episode 104, "Cooking Adventures," he stops by host Allison Sobiek’s kitchen at the Doolin House in Somerset to share recipes from his cookbook Adventures in New Kentucky Cooking. According to producer Victoria Burrows, “David's flavorful butter bean hummus and freshly unique lemon lavender crème brulee are a hit with the crew, but his chicken in red wine with homemade egg noodles are unforgettable!” Set your DVR: The episode will air on KET1 on Monday, Nov. 9, at 5 a.m. EST.

Mr. Paul Culligan and Mr. Todd Hildreth, Bellarmine jazz instructors, will appear in the upcoming Disney film “Secretariat,” starring John Malkovich, Diane Lane and James Cromwell. Mr. Culligan and Mr. Hildreth play musicians in the dance band in a scene depicting the Belmont Ball. The movie, filmed at the Pendennis Club and Churchill Downs, among other locations, will be released in 2010.

On Sept. 29, Ms. Meme Tunnell, assistant professor of Music, participated in a Faculty Trio performance of chamber music for piano, trumpet, and trombone at the University of Louisville. The concert included a premiere of a work by Indiana University composer John Gibson. On Oct. 16-17, Ms. Tunnell was invited to perform in the Kentucky Music Teachers Association Annual Composers Recital. The concert was presented as part of the KMTA 2009 State Conference held at Northern Kentucky University.

Work that Dr. Mary Huff, associate professor of Biology, did with collaborators at the University of Louisville has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The paper is entitled “Effect of ethacrynic acid on the sodium- and potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase activity and expression in old order Amish bipolar individuals.” The authors are Dr. Huff, Xiao-Ping Li, Edward Ginns and Rif S. El-Mallakh.

Dr. Frank Hutchins, associate professor of Anthropology, was awarded a grant by the Partners of the Americas for a project titled “Native Threads: Embroidery and Indigenous Identity in Northern Ecuador.” The project highlights ways that indigenous identity in Ecuador is literally woven into the clothing that women wear. The skills for creating and making hand-embroidered items are disappearing as machine-made designs are cheaper and quicker – but less culturally rooted. The grant allows for a visit to Louisville in early December by an indigenous woman who still does traditional embroidery. She will visit schools and help organize an exhibit of hand-embroidered items at the National Embroidery Museum in Louisville. The grant source is the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Dr. David Robinson, associate professor of biology, and Dr. Joann Lau, instructor of biology, announced the following accomplishments:

Peer-reviewed publication

Lau, JM, NG Cooper, DL Robinson, SS Korban. 2009. Sequence and in silico characterization of the polygalacturonase promoter and termination regions. Plant Molecular Biology Reporter 27:250-256.

Robinson, DL, JM Lau, S Porter, BS Wiseman, M Woodrow. 2009. Modular cloning and sequencing: A six-week project in molecular biology and bioinformatics. In: Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, Proceedings of the 30th Workshop/Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE), University of Toronto-Mississauga, June 2-7, 2008, edited by Kari L. Clase, Vol. 30, ISBN: 1-890444-12-X, pp. 111-183.

Grant funded

Lau, JM (Principal Investigator), Robinson DL (Co-Investigator). 2009. The effect of microgravity on nodule development in alfalfa. Kentucky Space Grant Consortium. NASA Space Grant Program, Oct. 2009-April 2010.

NCBI GenBank accessions

Lau, JM, DL Robinson. 2009. cDNA library of ragweed male flower and pollen; Ambrosia trifida. 303 accessions published in NCBI dbEST database, so far.

Miles TT, WS Theis, DR Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Jasminum multiflorum chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 11-13 (partial cds). Accession GQ372998.

Neumann CA, JA Broaddus, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Jasminum multiflorum chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 9-10 (partial cds). Accession GQ372997.

Keaveny KM, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Jasminum multiflorum chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 7-8 (partial cds). Accession GQ372996.

Shepherd CW, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Coffea arabica chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 8-11 (partial cds). Accession GQ372995.

Dierfeldt DM, CN Benson, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Coffea arabica chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 7-8 (partial cds). Accession GQ372994.

Wallace AN, DL Robinson, JL Lau. 2009. Oxalis regnellii chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 11-13 (partial cds). Accession GQ372993.

Irwin BM, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Oxalis regnellii chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 8-11 (partial cds). Accession GQ372992

Metzler MA, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Oxalis regnellii chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, exons 7-8 (partial cds). Accession GQ372991.

Mitchell SN, EB Whitledge, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Acipenser transmontanus spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (ataxin) gene (partial cds). Accession GQ337865.

Mitchell SN, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Begonia bowerae glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (partial cds). Accession GQ332383.

Brumm CM, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Codiaeum variegatum glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (partial cds). Accession GQ332382.

Zolj S, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Pilea cadierei glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (partial cds). Accession GQ332381.

Pawley, MD, DL Robinson, JM Lau. 2009. Schefflera arboricola glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene, partial cds. 1365 bp. Accession Number FJ648426.

School of Education

Dr. Anne Bucalos and Dr. Amy Lingo’s article, “Filling the Potholes in the Road to Inclusion,” Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, March 2005, was included in the 2008-2009 Annual Editions—Educating Children with Exceptionalities.

Dr. Anne Bucalos has also been named as a member of the Education Professional Standards Board’s Reading Committee for Accreditation Program Review.

Drs. Kathleen and Robert Cooter delivered a keynote address, “A Messy, Marvelous Literacy Mission: One Life at a Time in School Reform,” on Oct. 2 for the Reading Leadership Institute sponsored by National-Louis University in Chicago.

Dr. Corrie Orthober and Ms. Sonya Burton made a conference presentation titled: “Participating in a Civil Rights Workshop” at the Kentucky Council for the Social Studies on Sept. 24. Also on Sept. 24, Dr. Orthober, Tara Wasson (MAT teacher candidate and Bullitt Central High School teacher) and Marcia Clark (Bullitt Central High School teacher) made a conference presentation titled “Kids Creating Historical Meaning.”

Dr. Corrie Orthober and Seth Pollitt, Iroquois High School Social Studies Department chair and student in Bellarmine’s principal prep program, facilitated the professional development for Iroquois High School Social Studies Department to implement JCPS' “Assessment For Learning” initiative on Sept. 29.

Dr. David Paige presented a session on “Using Whole-Class Choral Reading in the Middle School Classroom” at the Kentucky Reading Association’s annual meeting in Louisville on Sept. 18.

Dr. Dottie Willis also made a presentation at the KRA, on Sept. 19. Her session was entitled “Divide and Conquer: Collaborative Literacy Strategies for Mastery of Challenging Texts.”

On Sept. 14, the Education Professional Standards Board approved the Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership (P-12) and Endorsement Program. In addition to recommending program approval, the committee commended Bellarmine University for presenting an excellent proposal that can also serve as a model program.