September 2022 | Issue 18

NEXT ISSUE: October 2022

Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tony Kushner is coming to The University of Toledo. Kushner will share his story at the annual Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in Doermann Theatre in University Hall on UToledo's main campus. This free, moderated conversation about his life and career will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

Kushner is best known for “Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes,” his two-part epic about the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the late 1980s which received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Awards for Best Play in 1993 and 1994. Kushner also adapted "Angels in America" as an HBO miniseries directed by Mike Nichols. As a screenwriter, Kushner has worked frequently with Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg, writing screenplays for “Munich,” “Lincoln,” and, most recently, the 2021 remake of “West Side Story.”

Doors open at 6 p.m. with first-come, first-served seating. Parking will be free in Area 1N off of University Hills Boulevard.

The students of the UToledo College of Arts and Letters now have a representative on the University's Board of Trustees. Madeline Vining, a CAL student majoring in Economics and Political Science, joined the board this summer. Vining, who is also a member of the women’s cross-country and track and field teams, was named by Gov. Mike DeWine to a term that runs through July 1, 2024. Congrats!

Kennedy Lovell, a master's student in the Department of English Language and Literature, was was selected as panelist for the Title IX 50th Anniversary discussion. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in any federally funded school or program, including sports. As a student athlete herself, Lovell has experienced the positive impacts of Title IX. She was interviewed by NBC 24 and discussed ways to be educated about Title IX.

Watch the news story.

Many thanks to Associate Dean Dan Hammel, Ph.D., who has returned to faculty in the Department of Geography and Planning. We are happy to welcome Ed Lingan, Ph.D, from the Department of Theatre and Film, as the newest interim associate dean. 

In other changes, David Black, Ph.D., is now serving as chair of Economics, Department of Political Science and Public Administration chair, Sam Nelson, Ph.D., has returned to faculty, and Jetsa Caceras, Ph.D., is stepping in as the new chair. Jason Stumbo, Ph.D., is the new interim chair of the Department of Music, replacing Lee Heritage, Ph.D., who is returning to faculty.

Finally, we wish a fond farewell to Adam Hintz, who has moved on to be the full-time director of Student Advising for Natural Sciences and Math. We are excited to welcome Michelle Sullivan as CAL’s new Interim Director of Student Advising.

DEPARTMENT OF ART

JEREMY LONG EXHIBITION

Now through October 14, 2022, Artist Reception: Oct. 6, 2022 at 6 p.m.

UToledo Center for the Visual Arts Main Gallery

The UToledo Department of Art welcomes painter, Jeremy Long for an exhibition and artist visit. See examples of his amazing work on his website jeremylongart.com/.

DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND FILM

THEATRE PRODUCTION AUDITIONS

Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 7-8, 2022 from 7-10 p.m.

The UToledo Department of Theatre and Film will be auditioning for its November production of "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. Auditions are open to everyone, including members of the general public. To sign up, complete an online audition registration form and then sign up for a time slot in the Center for Performing Arts. 

For more information about auditions and how to prepare, visit the Theatre and Film Department auditions webpage.

PUBLISHING AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Eric Zeigler in the Department of Art was selected as a finalist and exhibitor for the Helsinki Photo Festival in Helsinki, Finland which began in July and runs through September. His recent collaborative infrared photographic work was selected for the “Intimate Landscapes” exhibition at CollexArt, juried by Terri Weifenbach.

In the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Karie Peralta, Ph.D., gave a sociology and STEM presentation, and had a publication with Shahna Arps, Ph.D.

•  Arps, S., & Peralta, K. J. (2022). Building local capacity for monitoring health through nutritional status training in the Dominican Republic. Practicing Anthropology.
•  Peralta, K. J. Grounding informal STEM education in sociology: A partnership between Imagination Station and UToledo. Presentation at the annual conference of the North Central Sociological Association.

The story "Three Omens of Federico Da Montefeltro," by Ben Stroud, Ph.D. in the Department of English Language and Literature, was published in The Common in May.

The Disability Studies program had several accomplishments of note.

• Jim Ferris, Ph.D. presented the keynote address titled, "Shining the Light: Disability, Africa, and the Hope of Art" at the Alternative Explanations: Disability and African Arts conference sponsored by Lancaster University (UK), SOAS University of London, University of the Western Cape, University of Yaoundé 1 (Cameroon), and the Disability and Inclusion Africa Network. He was also one of the featured readers in the community reading of Martin Luther King's "A Time to Break Silence," at Monroe Street Methodist Church, Toledo.
• Kim Nielsen, PhD., chair of Disability Studies, received a grant from the American Philosophical Society to conduct research in the UK during Summer 2023. 
• Allyson Day, Ph.D. presented this summer at the International Autobiography Association Annual Conference, rescheduled from 2020, about her book, "The Political Economy of Stigma: HIV, Memoir, Medicine and Crip Positionalities."
• Rebecca Monteleone, Ph.D. gave a keynote address called "Beyond Compliance: Toward Disability Justice in Practice" at TechFest, the assistive and educational tech conference hosted by the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She also facilitated a public storytelling event with self-advocates from the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities at the Toledo Lucas County Library.

Professor Stephen Sakowski of the Department of Theatre and Film was the Lighting Director for two major events in May. The first was the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Gala & Award Ceremony, held in NYC at Lincoln Center which honored Nikole Hannah-Jones, Stevie Wonder and Sherrilyn Ifill. The evening also included musical performances by Stevie Wonder and John Legend. Sakowski also was the Lighting Director for the NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, an event which determines a team’s selection order for the NBA Draft in June. UToledo Theatre major Morgan Cunningham served as his assistant at this event.

In the Department of World Languages and Cultures, Ruth Hottell, Ph.D., professor emerita of French and a Knight of the French Academic Palms, published the English translation of "Feminism or Death" by the French ecofeminist, Françoise d’Eaubonne with Verso Books in March. Dr. Juan Martín's article, "Spanish preverbal subjects and the cartography of the Spanish left periphery," was published in Lingua.

In the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies:

• Kimberly McBride, Ph.D. was selected as the Chair-elect and the Policy Chair of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Section of The American Public Health Association.
• Shara Crookston, Ph.D. received a $10,000 University Research Funding Opportunities (URFO) grant to conduct interviews for a manuscript, "I'm Not Trying to Sell Abortion: The Staff and Volunteers That Protect Abortion Access." The manuscript is currently under review by the University Press of Mississippi.
• Jeanne Kusina, Ph.D. Interim Director of the UToledo Center for Teaching Excellence, was the organizer and principal facilitator of the UToledo summer Course Design Institute, the UToledo Foundations of Excellence in Teaching Series. She also presented the topic "Bring Your Whole Self: Creating Institutional Spaces with an Ethic of Care and Respect for Students" at the University of Toledo Student Success Summit this past spring.
• Rachel Dudley, Ph.D. gave the Language of Diversity lecture, "Black Feminist Thought and Grassroots Health Organizing," sponsored by the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

The UToledo Department of Music hosted the inaugural Glass City Chamber Music Competition in May. This high-profile event was funded by the Greater Toledo Community Foundation and organized by department chair, Jason Stumbo, Ph.D., and the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts. The competing chamber groups represented some of the best music schools in Ohio and Indiana.

AWARD FINALIST

Professor Joey Kim of the Department of English Language and Literature had a poetry collection book that was a finalist for this year's Ohioana Book Award. Dr. Kim’s "Body Facts," published in June of last year, also won an international publication contest in 2020 and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, a prestigious national literary award.

CONGRATULATIONS

Morgan Zickes, a 2022 graduate in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, has landed two jobs. She will be a field organizer for the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) through the election in November and has accepted an offer of a Legislative Services Commission (LSC) fellowship for 2023. The LSC is the agency that does the research and analysis for the state legislature. It is a 13-month, paid internship.

Department of History

• History Ph.D. student, David Lacy, was accepted to participate in the Osnabrück Summer Institute on the Cultural Study of the Law in Germany.
• History master's student, Caleb Wakeman, received a summer internship at the Rolland Center for [Abraham] Lincoln Research, Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN.
• Kevin Kostin (History M.A. 2020) was accepted to the history doctoral program at SUNY Buffalo with a full funding package.
• 2022 History B.A. graduate, Mckade Schultz, received a summer internship at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park.

Department of Economics

Four graduate students have been accepted and are going to top Ph.D. programs in the US and Canada.

• Huberta Naana Dickson will be attending North Carolina State: Economics Ph.D. program
• Asif Iqbal will be attending the University of Nebraska: Economics Ph.D. program
• Didar Islam will be attending the University of Florida: Economics Ph.D. program
• Md. Roknuzzaman will be attending McMaster University: Economics Ph.D. program.

UToledo News: Four faculty members in the Department of Art at The University of Toledo are showcasing their work and expertise to international audiences.

Deborah Orloff, Thor Mednick, Eric Zeigler, Barry Whittaker

Washington Post: Americans Aren’t Asking for Transgender Sports Bans. So Why Pass Them?

Jami Taylor, Ph.D, professor of political science, joins her research colleagues detailing in an op-ed the mismatch between public opinion on transgender sports bans and recent legislation that prohibits transgender youth from competing in organized sports.

People Magazine: Nick Corbin (B.A. English, 2014; M.A. English, 2016). Corbin's silo mural photograph was featured in People Magazine online.

Mischiefs of Faction: What Ohio's Ninth Tells Us About the 2022 Midterm Elections

Jeffrey Broxmeyer, Ph.D, an associate professor of political science, writes why northwest Ohio’s newly redrawn 9th District is an example of the obstacles that now face Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections and beyond.

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Economists: Child Tax Credit Would Be a Boon

Kevin Egan, Ph.D, professor of economics, talks about how reducing child poverty would be an effective approach to grow the state economy.

Sentinel-Tribune: Book Discussion on ‘Witches’ Kicks Off Women’s Suffrage Programming at Perrysburg Library

Kristen Geaman, Ph.D, associate lecturer of history, will lead a discussion on “The Once and Future Witches” May 23.

WTOL 11: Uncharted Territory After Landmark Supreme Court Ruling

Sam Nelson, Ph.D, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, talks about the Supreme Court ruling to overrule Roe v. Wade.

WTOL 11: Jan. 6 Committee Holding Public Hearings

Sam Nelson, Ph.D, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, discusses the Jan. 6 committee as it is set to make its case with prime-time hearings this week.

WTOL 11: Council to Vote on Multiple Holiday Changes

Monita Mungo, Ph.D, assistant professor of sociology, discusses proposals from the city of Toledo to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day and to recognize Juneteenth as a new city holiday.