UToledo CAL eNewsletter

CAL News and Events

May 2023 – Issue 26

NEXT ISSUE: September 2023

CAL ALUMNA - SPRING 2023 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Elyse Chengery 2009 UToledo Communication graduate will speak at UToledo Spring 2023 Commencement

There was a familiar face speaking at this year's spring commencement. Elyse Chengery, a UToledo communication alumna ('09), was the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 6, in Savage Arena. Chengery is currently a journalist and TV news anchor for Fox 4 Southwest Florida. Read more...

ARTS AND LETTERS STUDENTS HONORED

UToledo commencement students walking past table with diploma cases on it, with medallion in foreground

CAL honored its brightest and most accomplished students Friday, May 5 at the annual Honors and Awards Ceremony. This year’s program added The Excellence in Perseverance Award, which recognizes students who have have overcome significant hurdles during their academic journeys. To see the full program for the 2023 event, visit the Honors Ceremony website.

DISABILITY STUDIES PROFESSOR RECOGNIZED WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AWARD

Rebecca Monteleone assistant professor of Disability Studies at The University of Toledo

Disability Studies assistant professor Rebecca Monteleone received the Community Partnership Award from the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Monteleone has worked tirelessly to empower those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"I am so honored to receive this recognition...I believe deeply that community partnerships are necessary for creating meaningful academic scholarships that can be used to make more equitable futures." Read more about her important work.

STUDENT SUCCESSES

Clare Krzykala, a CAL student who is double-majoring in honors psychology as well as law and social thought, presented her thesis research to the Midwestern Psychological Association conference in Chicago in April.

Clare Krzykala a student at UToledo majoring in honors psychology and law and social thought

Isabella Garza, a graduate of the UToledo Disability Studies Program

Isabella Garza, a double major in disability studies and special education with a minor in Spanish, graduated this semester with departmental honors. In addition, she presented her research at an international conference, “Including Disability Global Summit” at the University of Maryland this spring.

Davion Williams, a double major in law and social thought and English, will be wrapping up his final year at UToledo as a published poet and writer. His poem can be found in the book, “Death Never Dies: Mourning” by Lee Fearnside. Read more...

Davion Williams UToledo double major in English and Law and Social Thought

Two young women from the College of Arts and Letters are among top Rocket athletes in the classroom. Both are on the UToledo Women's Cross Country Team. For the second consecutive season media communications major Krystal Clark (left) leads with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. CAL student Madeline Vining (right) graduated on Saturday with dual degrees in economics and political science. Vining also earned the CAL Outstanding Student Award and received Academic All-MAC honors in cross country.

Student athletes Krystal Clark and Madeline Vining

A reflection written by history senior David Heuring is currently featured on the International Samaritan website. Heuring's "From the Blue Mountains to Mountains of Waste" was inspired by the UToledo service learning trip he took to Jamaica during spring break.

Lucas Will, currently double majoring in honors Spanish and economics, was recently elected as next year's UToledo Student Government President.

Lucas Will UToledo Student Government President

POLITICAL SCIENCE CLASS SIMULATES

REAL-WORLD THREAT

UToledo political science terror simulation class

A unique CAL political science class this semester immersed students in a simulation with important real-world implications. At the start of the semester, students in Joel Voss’ course were put into two groups. One group learned they would be planning a terrorist attack in Toledo. The other group would be trying to stop the impending attack before it occurred.

So who "won?" Voss said, "The counter-terror groups were pretty close to figuring out where some of the terror attacks would occur, but ultimately, the terrorists would have won. There were accusations of moles and spies and counter-moles and counter-spies, etc. A very lively experience."

UPCOMING EVENTS

String Orchestra Workshop June 6-29, 2023, Deadline to Register June 2 Center for Performing Arts

Linguistic Association of Canada and the United States - Annual Conference July 5-7, 2023 Theme: Linguistics and Communication: Research and Teaching/Learning (Face-to-face and online)

Making Meaning EXhibit:Teaching and Learning with Collage Now through Aug. 11 Carlson Library, South Gallery, First Floor

PARKING

A visitor parking permit is required to park on campus for most events. Check event details. Visit parkutoledo.com to purchase a parking permit.

MORE EVENTS

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

AWARDS

Kimberly Mack (Department of English) won the Joe Weixlmann Prize from the African American Review, awarded to the "best essay among this year's selection in twentieth- and twenty-first-century African American literature and culture," for her article “Love Story Black and the Third Plane Novel," published in AAR in 2022.

Sara Yaklin (Department of English) won a UToledo Outstanding Teacher Award for 2022-2023. Read more about this year's awards...

Joey Kim (Department of English) won an Edith Rathbun Outreach and Engagement Excellence Award for 2022-2023. She has also been recognized as a "Champion" as one of this year's Influential UToledo Women. The desgination was presented by the Catharine S. Eberly Center in honor of the 150th anniversary of The University of Toledo. The Eberly Center is recognizing influential women from the university's rich history nominated by the campus community. These women have been champions, innovators and pioneers leading the University to greatness.

For a complete list of recent achievements, visit our website.

MEDIA APPEARANCES

13 ABC: Humorous Posts Help Connect Community With Lucas County Sheriff’s Office

Tasha Dunn (Department of Communication) discusses using social media as an effective tool to increase engagement with members of the community.

WTOL 11: UToledo Hosts Jon Hendricks Memorial Concert

UToledo choir students (Department of Music) participated in the jazz concert that featured pianist, vocalist and composer Peter Eldridge.

The Blade: Running With Purpose: Runners Set to Take Part in Mercy Health Glass City Marathon

UToledo student Liam Walsh (Department of Political Science and Public Administration) discusses his plan to run the half marathon in order to raise money for the UToledo chapter of Camp Kesem, a national nonprofit that provides programs and services to children whose parents have or have had cancer.

13 ABC: Throwback Toledo: UToledo’s Center for the Visual Arts

UToledo’s Center for the Visual Arts was designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry and is attached to the Toledo Museum of Art.

WTOL 11: Celebrating Pride at The University of Toledo

Student and co-president of the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, Amber Rank (Department of English and Department of Women's and Gender Studies) explains the inspiration behind the student organization’s Pride event on Centennial Mall.

Billboard: Is Kid Rock, Travis Tritt’s Bud Boycott All Froth?

Dr. Neil Reid (Department of Geography and Planning) talks about the habits of beer consumers as well as contracts that concert venues have with distributors or outside vendors that run their food service and concessions. (Story also ran on MSN and Yahoo news.)

The Blade: Arab Heritage Month 1001 Things You Wondered about Arab Americans

Dr. Gaby Semaan (Middle East Studies program) talks about stereotypes at a UToledo event hosted in honor of National Arab American Heritage Month.

13 ABC: Findlay Brewery Uses Artificial Intelligence to Create New Beer With ChatGPT

Dr. Neil Reid (Department of Geography and Planning) discusses creativity and innovation in the craft brewing industry.

Moviemaker.com: Screenwriters to Watch in 2023 with the Austin Film Festival

Matt Foss (Department of Theatre and Film) was named one of the 2023 Screenwriters to Watch. This annual curated list is published by the Austin Film Festival (the leading screenwriting conference and festival in the country) and Movie Maker magazine. It spotlights promising new voices in screenwriting.

For more faculty media appearances, visit our website.

UTOLEDO COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS