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Ronnie Ancona
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Ronnie Ancona (Classics) and Sarah B. Pomeroy (Classics and History, Emerita) are co-editors of the series “Women of the Ancient World," which aims to offer compact and accessible introductions to the life and historical times of female figures from the ancient world.
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Cynthia Degazon (Nursing) recently received a three-year grant of $950,000 to continue the BEST Program (Becoming Excellent Students in Transition to Nursing), which seeks to reduce the nursing shortage and to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the nursing profession. The grant, which follows another three-year award (for $895,000), was given by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Andrew Lund (Film and Media Studies) is the executive producer of "Vanaja," a feature film set in rural South India. It tells the story of a young girl's desire and determination to be a dancer as she struggles to come of age. "Vanaja," winner of 16 major international awards, is currently playing in NYC at Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street).
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Neepa T. Maitra (Physics and Astronomy) has been named a Cottrell Scholar and will receive a $100,000 award to further her research and teaching. Maitra received this prestigious grant for her proposal titled “Strong-Field Dynamics of Atoms and Molecules in Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory: A Phase Space Exploration.”
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Photo credit:
James Higgins |
Zoli, the new novel by acclaimed author Colum McCann (English), tells of a Gypsy poet and intellectual exiled for betraying her people. Loosely based on the true story of Papusza, the famous Roma poet and singer, the novel takes place in 1930s Czechoslovakia. Frances Itani, author of Deafening, said, "McCann's writing is so convincingly, quietly passionate that one can only imagine how he immersed himself in Roma culture while inventing a story of love and betrayal, exile and survival."
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Frank Mirer (Urban Public Health) was appointed by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to the New York State Labor Department Hazard Abatement Board.
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Robert Salmon and Dominique Moyse Steinberg (Social Work) gave the keynote speech to open the four-day annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Social Work With Groups, held in June. The topic of their speech was the importance of talking in the idiom of the other person, a communication skill based on finding, and then communicating in, whatever “tongue” it takes to be understood.
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Pam Stone's (Sociology) new book, Opting Out: Why Women Really Quit Their Careers and Head Home, was published in May by the University of California Press. Heidi Hartman, of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, said, "Bringing an open mind and equal parts sympathy and skepticism, coupled with years of training as a social scientist, Stone analyzes the opt out decision and comes to surprising conclusions." Stone is quoted in a July 12 USA Today news article about the intensifying split between employed and stay-at-home mothers, and the modern-day pressures that contribute to the gap. "All of these things are putting women in particular into a kind of all-or-nothing situation. It's kind of forcing a polarization," she said. Stone was also on ABC's World News Tonight on July 13, again discussing the subject of mothers who work outside the home.
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Joyce Toney (Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies) presented a paper on “The Caribbean and the Feminization of Emigration: Effects and Repercussions” at a symposium held in June at Brooklyn Borough Hall on “The Caribbean and its Diaspora in the Americas: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century.” The aim of the symposium was to explore economic, social, cultural, and other issues pertaining to the Caribbean and its descendant communities in North, Central, and South America.
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Marta Moreno Vega (Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies) has been nominated for a seat on the New York State Arts Council. ”With these nominations, we will help transform the state Arts Council," Governor Eliot Spitzer said. "A more diverse and daring board will build upon our states reputation as a center of artistic creativity and expression."
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Joseph Viteritti's (Urban Affairs) ninth book, The Last Freedom: Religion from the Public School to the Public Square, was published earlier this year by Princeton University Press. Christopher L. Eisgruber, provost of Princeton University, said, "In this beautifully written book, Joseph Viteritti offers a rich, historically informed exploration of this important topic. By questioning conventional wisdom and avoiding the clichés of both the Left and the Right, Viteritti has produced an even-handed, original treatment of a volatile subject." Barry Lynn, host of a syndicated radio show in Washington, recently interviewed Viteritti about his book.The Last Freedom will be the subject of a special event to be held at Hunter on September 27, "A Conversation Between Joseph Viteritti and Samuel Freedman," New York Times columnist and Columbia University Professor of Journalism. For information on the event, contact spevents@hunter.cuny.edu or 212-772-4007.
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Philip Alcabes (Urban Public Health) was quoted in a May 31 HealthDay News article “TB Patient Enters Denver Hospital for Treatment.” The article detailed the quarantine of a Georgia man infected with a dangerous form of tuberculosis. "The CDC is making much of the fact that the man's TB strain is drug resistant," Alcabes said. "That is of some clinical relevance but of no public health importance. Drug-resistant strains are no more infectious than other strains." Alcabes was also quoted in a HealthDay News article on the FDA’s approval of the first bird flu vaccine for use in humans. "There's no way to know how effective this will be in practice," said Alcabes. "That's unlike the situation in seasonal flu, where we know from last year and the year before and the year before roughly how much protection you get from the vaccines. We have no way of knowing that from a new vaccine, because the epidemic hasn't happened."
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El Diario La Prensa’s 112-page supplement for the 50th anniversary of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, published on June 10, includes an interview with Pedro Juan Hernández (Centro archives). Hernández describes the resources and work done at the archives for an article about Centro's role as “the Guardian of History” for Puerto Ricans and other Latinos.
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Karen Hunter (Film and Media Studies) was quoted in a May 24 abcnews.com article about Verne Winfrey’s plans to publish a tell-all book about his daughter Oprah, and the public's fascination with books and articles of that genre.
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"Chinese Migration Goes Global,” an article by Peter Kwong (Urban Affairs) was published in YaleGlobal Online on July 17. The article posits that the tightening of immigration policies, coupled with increased demand for inexpensive illegal labor, contributes to deteriorating labor standards for all workers.
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Jeffrey Parsons (Psychology) was featured in a cbsnews.com video about two Rider University deans charged with aggravated hazing in the death of a freshman student. "I hope that it will be a wake-up call to colleges across the country," said Parsons, "because they need to do more education and prevention efforts on-campus to make certain that students understand the dangers of alcohol abuse, in particular binge drinking." An article in the August 21 edition of USA Today headlined "Alcohol-saturated 'fun' on campus can be lethal" also called on Parsons, who said that some students "feel free to take huge risks," adding: "They're not in an environment where somebody's patrolling their behavior."
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A July 8 article in the Staten Island Advance quotes Anthony Picciano (Curriculum and Teaching) on the effectiveness of online courses. "I think there are certain areas that might be done better face-to-face. One of the most common situations that is mentioned as being at least difficult online is anything that requires hands-on experience, like a science lab. Some of my colleagues in the math department think face-to-face [instruction] is a lot more effective than the online environment."
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Andrew Polsky (Political Science) was quoted in a May 27 Reuters article on Sen. Hillary Clinton’s attempt to increase interest in her campaign by allowing people to vote online to select a campaign theme song. "This is a mistake waiting to happen," said Polsky. "Some campaign adviser who cooked up this scheme may be updating his resume if it blows up in her face." Polsky was also quoted in a July 8 Newsday article on Bill Clinton’s appearances along Sen. Clinton's campaign trail. "They want to be careful about using him," said Polsky. "They do careful polling and they want to keep their pulse on whether he's overshadowing her." Polsky was quoted in the New York Sun on August 9 about Rudolph Giuliani's daughter voicing support for Sen. Barack Obama for president in an online forum. "I don't think that Americans expect anymore that presidential families are all sweetness and light," Polsky said. "We haven't had that for quite a long time."
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An expert in U.S.-Russia relations, Cynthia Roberts (Political Science) was quoted in a July 6 New York Daily News article, “Bush To Putin: What About Democracy?” Her comment regards Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to aim Russian nuclear weapons at Europe in retaliation if the U.S. builds bases in former Soviet satellites. "Putin may be overstepping," Roberts said. "He still could create a backlash against Russia with all this Cold War talk."
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Jonathan Shannon (Anthropology) was quoted in a NationalJournal.com article about the possibility of reform in Syria, which may become the United State’s next target in the war on terror. “Given his somewhat precarious position in power, I think [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad] would need to show the hard-liners he is getting something in return for conceding to President Bush’s demand that he stop supporting terrorist groups."
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An article in the June 13 Windy City Times discusses the growing political concern expressed by some senators over the nomination of James R. Holsinger to be U.S. Surgeon General, because of Holsinger's strong anti-gay views. Kenneth Sherrill (Political Science) is quoted as saying, “The real question is not one of concern but whether they are prepared to take the political heat and vote no.” A June 20 article in Reuters headlined “Bloomberg says he is not eyeing White House” quotes Sherrill responding to speculation that Mayor Michael Bloomberg quit the Republican party to run for President as an independent. “Clearly, Mayor Bloomberg is positioning himself to run as an independent, but this doesn't necessarily mean that he will run for president in 2008," said Sherrill. "He is not likely to run if he does not think he has a good chance of winning." Sherrill was also quoted in a July 18 article in advocate.com about a contribution of $2,300 from Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington to Sen. Barack Obama's campaign. "Virtually every candidate gets money from people who are controversial," said Sherrill. ""This is an exercise of free speech on Washington's part."
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In Memoriam
Fred Bornhauser, a faculty member in the English Department from 1976 to 2000, passed away in August. A scholar of modern British and American literature, Bornhauser was a man of tremendous intellect and wide-ranging interests. He graduated from the University of Louisville; Exeter College, University of Oxford (Rhodes Scholar); and Cornell University.
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 Bogart Leashore, dean of the School of Social Work from 1991-2003, died in June. His devoted service, commitment to social justice, and expertise in child welfare practice will be much remembered by his peers and students. There will be a memorial this fall at the School of Social Work. Details to come.
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W. M. J.(Jeff) Wijnen , a professor of chemistry at Hunter from 1962 through 1990, passed away in August. During his tenure, he served as chair of the department for two terms and as acting associate provost for a brief period. If you wish to send condolences, please write to Mrs. Addie Wijnen, 608 Wyndham Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. At Mrs. Wijnen's request, donations made in Professor Wijnen's memory will be used to support undergraduate chemistry students at Hunter. If you are interested in contributing to the Wijnen Fund, please send checks to the Hunter College Foundation, 695 Park Avenue, Room 1313 East, NY, NY 10065, and indicate the Wijnen Fund in the memo line.
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Nicholas Freudenberg (Urban Public Health) received the 2007 Morton Deutsch Conflict Resolution Award from the American Psychological Association's Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence. The award recognizes Freudenberg's scholarly work on violence prevention, as well as his efforts to address the challenges that incarcerated adolescents and adults face when rejoining society. 
Kate Parry (English) has won the Fulbright New Century Scholars Fellowship, which supports efforts to promote literacy in developing or emerging countries. Parry’s fellowship is supporting her work in Ghana, where she is helping to develop programs to improve the reading and writing skills of Ghanaian students. 
Susan Turner-Meiklejohn (Urban Affairs and Planning) has won a Russell Sage Fellowship, which provides sufficient support for 10 months to allow the recipient to work full time on a research project that furthers knowledge in a social science.The Russell Sage Foundation is one of the counry's leading foundations in the area of social and civic issues.