Spotlights
Faculty and Staff Successes, April 2015
April 01, 2015
Craig Benjamin, associate professor in the Honors College, gave a presentation, “Traveling the Silk Roads,” at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Kelly James Clark, visiting professor in the Honors College, wrote a book, Religion and the Sciences of Origins, that was reviewed by New Books in Religion and Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.
Randa Elbih, visiting professor in Liberal Studies, Justin Pettibone, affiliate faculty in Liberal Studies, and LIB 201 students, led the event: From Knowledge to Action: Where Do We Go from Here? Design Thinking was utilized to help students explore complex social issues in Grand Rapids and become involved in local organizations. The video of the event can be viewed here.
Randa Elbih, visiting professor of Liberal Studies, along with Anita Bright, James Gambrell, G. Sue Kasun, Kimberly Llosvey, and Brandon Fox wrote "Intersections of Faith in Education: The Often-Silenced Connections of Faith, Education, and Global Religions in Diversity Work." Professor Elbih also was a discussant for the Paper Session titled, “Multiple Perspectives on Religion and Education” at the AERA 2015 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, and has a forthcoming paper entitled, “Teaching about Islam and Muslims while Countering Cultural Misrepresentations.”
Gamal Gasim, assistant professor of Political Science and Middle East Studies, was interviewed by Correio Braziliense, a national Brazilian newspaper, about the current situation in Yemen. He also wrote three articles, “Yemen’s Shifting Political Alliances,” “Yemen Needs Hope not Bombs,” and “Yemen Strife Threatens Neighbors Too,” published by Al-Jazeera. Gamal also gave a presentation about the rise of political tensions in the Middle East at the Grand Haven Public Policy Series.
Amorak Huey, assistant professor of writing; Ellen Schendel, associate dean of Brooks College and professor of writing; and Christopher Toth, assistant professor of writing, gave a presentation, “Beyond the Humanities: Offering a Bachelor of Science in Writing,” at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Tampa, Florida.
Danielle Lake, assistant professor of Liberal Studies; Lisa Sisson, assistant professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management; and Lara Jaskiewicz, assistant professor of Health Administration, published “Local Food Innovation in a World of Wicked Problems: The Pitfalls and the Potential” in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.
Peimin Ni, professor of Philosophy, East Asian Studies and Chinese Studies,was awarded with the prestigious Dao Annual Best Essay Award, for an essay he wrote, “Seek and You Will Find It; Let Go and You Will Lose It: Exploring a Confucian Approach to Human Dignity.”
David Stark, professor of History and Latin American Studies Coordinator, wrote an article, “Ties that Bind: Baptismal Sponsorship among Slaves in Eighteenth-Century Puerto Rico,” published in Slavery & Abolition.
Judy Whipps, professor of Liberal Studies and Philosophy, wrote an article, “A Pragmatist Reading of Mary Parker Follett’s Integrative Process,” published in Transactions of the Charles Pierce Society Journal.