Spotlight on Spring 2008Dean’s Corner: Dean Lorene H. Stone

The College of Humanities and Public Affairs Newsletter continues in its new format with the addition of a downloadable PDF ver-

sion starting with the Spring 2007 issue. The links in the shaded area to the left of the page contain pathways to each of the featured

stories within the newsletter. Again, we hope that you enjoy this new format. Please send us feed back on the newsletter and what

you would like for us to include at [email protected].

College of Humanities and Public Affairs Spring 2008 Newsletter – Volume 11, Issue 1

Spotlight on Spring 2008

Although the weather has been challenging at times during the spring 2008 se-

mester, the faculty and students in the College of Humanities and Public Affairs

have been very busy.

As you will see in the accompanying Newsletter, we have provided many op-

portunities for community engagement with national speakers, international

conferences, and a number of on-campus presentations. For example, students,

community members, and faculty have had the opportunity to witness a session

of the Missouri Court of Appeals-Southern District, explore the importance of

the Dead Sea Scrolls with a member of the Scroll translation team, and learn

more about other parts of the world at a “Symposium on South Asia: Issues and

Trends in Research.”

Our faculty continue to bring the world home to Springfield through their research and extensive interna-

tional travel, and our efforts are also aimed at exploring and making public the importance of Ozark history

and culture. Of course, students remain our central focus. All of the activities reported in this newsletter

(and others) are intended to provide a quality learning experience for our students while fulfilling the Univer-

sity’s public affairs mission.

I hope you enjoy reading through this issue of the CHPA Newsletter, and I look forward to hearing from you

or seeing you at alumni events around the country.

Dean’s Corner: Dean Lorene H. Stone

Photos taken by Margie von der Heide

College of Humanities and Public Affairs Spring 2008

Missouri State University hosted the first International Confer-ence on Inquisition Studies on February 8-10, 2008 at the Haw-thorne Park Hotel in Springfield.

The event was co-hosted by the Missouri State Provost Re-search Initiative, the College of Humanities and Public Affairs, the Latin American, Caribbean and Hispanic Studies Program, and the History and Religious Studies departments.

More than fifty scholars from universities and research centers from around the world held a variety of panel sessions and offi-cial book presentations on current research concerning the Holy Office of the Inquisition and its role in World History.

With topics ranging from witchcraft and medicine to the censor-ship of the Inquisition, more than fifty academic presentations explored many aspects of the Inquisition and the effect that it has had on world history.

Conference organizer Dr. John Chuchiak (HST), associate professor of history at Missouri State, along with Dr. David Tavarez (Vassar College), and Dr. Kimberly Lynn Hossain (Western Washington University), hosted the conference as the inaugural academic event to showcase Missouri State University’s new Provost Initiative Program on Latin American, Caribbean and Hispanic Stud-ies. More than six current and past Missouri State University graduate students also participated and presented academic research papers that were well received by the international participants.

This conference, the first in a series of bi-annual conferences on the topic of Inquisition Studies, served as a great place to show off the different areas of research that are currently taking place in Inquisition Studies. “The conference panels assembled here high-lighted some of the more recent research, methods and conclusions of current Inquisition studies,” said Chuchiak. The conference was also very well attended by the University community with more than 300 registered participants and a similarly large audience in

attendance from the Springfield community who came to participate in the panels which were open and free to the public.

College of Humanities and Public Affairs Co-Hosted First International Conference on Inquisition Studies

If you are a graduate of one of the Departments in the College of Humanities and Public Affairs, we would

like to know where you are and what you are doing. If you would like to update your information, please

click on the link below that will take you to an on-line form. We respect the privacy of our alumni and use

this information only for correspondence and/or news from our College.

Click here for on-line form: [Update the link http://www.missouristate.edu/CHPA/form.htm]

Thanks for helping us do a better job of keeping up with our alumni!

We are seeking alumni contact information:

http://www.missouristate.edu/CHPA/form.htm


Political Science Professor Spends Sabbatical Training China’s Future diplomats

Recent Research Symposium Co-Sponsored by CHPA brings together Experts on South Asia

At right: Dr. Dennis Hickey and his wife Cheng-May at “The Bird's Nest in Beijing”

where China will hold the opening ceremony for the Olympics.

Dr. Dennis Hickey (PLS) is currently spending a semester as a Fulbright Ex-

change professor teaching at the China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) in

Beijing, China. The CFAU is the only institution of higher learning which operates under the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. It aims at preparing high caliber personnel who are competent to discharge their official duties in fluent foreign lan-guages in the fields of foreign service, international studies, and inter-national business and law. Dr. Hickey stated, “We train China's future diplomats …That is our mission.” This is one of the top four universities in China.

While in China, Dr. Hickey is teaching two graduate level classes. One course is on American politics and the other course is on American for-

eign policy. Throughout his time in China, Professor Hickey has been meeting with Chinese scholars and officials at vari-ous think-tanks and government agencies.

He also recently delivered a guest lecture to a standing room only audience of over 100 faculty and students at Renmin University in Beijing. The topic of his invited lecture was "America's Commitment to Taiwan," which remains a very sensitive subject for the Chinese. Professor Hickey is also currently discussing with local University officials the establishment of an exchange program between the PLS Graduate Program in International Affairs and the Graduate

Program in International Studies at Remin Daxue University.

Dr. Stephen Berkwitz (REL) organized and coordinated a joint research symposium hosted by Missouri State University’s College of Arts and Letters and CHPA. This “Symposium on South Asia: Issues and Trends in Research” was held from 10:30-1:00pm on March 5, 2008 in Carrington Theater. The symposium served as part of the Asian Arts and Letters Initiative and as a precursor to the Public Affairs Conference being held April 15-18, 2008.

“The Symposium on South Asia is an event that brought greater attention to the region of South Asia, which comprises mainly India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,” said Missouri State associate professor of religious studies Dr. Stephen Berkwitz. “Four expert scholars came to Missouri State and shared what they see as the important trends taking place in research on South Asia, which is a region of growing importance to American interests.”

The panel was composed of Dr. Robert Brown, professor of art history at the University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Jorge Flores, associate professor of history at Brown University; Dr. Peter Gottschalk, associate professor of religion at Wesleyan University; and Dr. Rina Williams, lecturer and interim director of the Women and Gender Studies Program at

the University of Virginia. The panelists each spoke for about 20 minutes to a sizable audience on their research specialties.

Left: Linda Moser, William Piston, Jane Allwardt (MSU Dalian), Helen

Zhuang, and Allison Coltharp at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

During Spring Break Professor William Piston (HST) joined a team

of faculty members who visited Beijing and Dalian, China. In Dalian

they toured the Missouri State branch campus at Liaoning Normal

University. Piston visited classes and met with faculty members,

including Ms. Carey Kelley, a recent History M.A. graduate who is

teaching U.S. survey courses there.

Piston also delivered an address, “Springfield, Missouri: A History

of Land, People, and Ideas,” to the student body. The faculty team

included Allison Coltharp of the Department of Communications and

Linda Moser of the Department of English. They received on-site

guidance from Helen Zhuang, a Dalian native who is currently a

graduate assistant in Academic Outreach.

Piston also delivered an address, “Springfield, Missouri: A History

of Land, People, and Ideas,” to the student body. The faculty team

included Allison Coltharp of the Department of Communications and

Linda Moser of the Department of English. They received on-site

guidance from Helen Zhuang, a Dalian native who is currently a

graduate assistant in Academic Outreach.

The trip was facilitated by Stephen H. Robinette, Acting Assistant

Provost for the Extended Campus.


History Professor Joins Missouri State Group During Spring Break Visit to our

Branch Campus in Dalian, China

Upcoming Research Panel to Focus on the Recent Swing to the Left in Latin American Politics

In the past few years left-leaning parties and leaders have risen to power in such diverse Latin American countries as Argentina, Bo-livia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

This leftist tide is, however, characterized by a good deal of diversity in ideological perspectives and bases of electoral support. The public faces of the new Latin-American left are illustrative of this diversity: two women, an indigenous peasant, a US educated econo-mist, a military officer, a former guerrilla leader, a doctor, and a factory worker and union leader.

The panel held on April 24, 2008 is designed to address a number of questions related to this phenomenon: Why have leftists won the support of the electorate? What have they actually done in office? What changes are they likely to bring about in Latin America’s political, economic, and social landscape in the future? And what will this mean for the United States?

Dr. Indira Ondetti (PLS) the panel’s organizer, will serve as the moderator and three prominent Latin American analysts will discuss this issue. The panelists include Professor Juan Pablo Luna (from the Institute of Political Science at the Catholic University of Chile); Dr. Jana Morgan (Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee), Chris Strunk (MacArthur/ICGC Scholar at the University of Minnesota); and our own Dr. Gabriel Ondetti (PLS). The panel will be co-sponsored by the College of Humanities and Public Affairs Dean’s Initiative Grant, and the Latin American, Caribbean, and Hispanic Studies

Program.

Annual National History Day Regional Contest

On March 17, 2008, the Political Science Department hosted a session of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern Dis-

trict, in the Plaster Student Union Theater.

Professor Kevin Pybas (PLS) coordinated the event.

The Southern District is one of three districts of the Missouri Court

of Appeals and has appellate jurisdiction over roughly the southern

third of the state. Although the Southern District has its adminis-

trative offices in Springfield, this was the first time it has met at

Missouri State University. The idea for meeting on campus came

from Dr. Pybas, the university’s pre-law advisor, and Gary Lynch,

the Chief Judge of the Southern District. The goal was to expose

students and the public to the workings of this important

court. Plans are in the works for the Political Science Department

to host the Court on an annual basis.

Political Science Professor and Pre-Law Advisor Hosts Campus Session of the

Missouri Court of Appeals


The Missouri State History Department once again hosted the Region 7, 2008 History Day Contest. Co-chairs for this event were

Dr. Holly Baggett and Dr. Jamaine Abidogun. History Day is a national contest designed to give students in grades 6 through 12

the opportunity to research, prepare, and present projects in competition with their peers. All entries were required to relate in some

way to a central theme, which changes yearly.

Each year roughly 500,000 students from across the United States

compete in History Day. Participants are divided into a Junior Divi-

sion (grades 6-8) and Senior Division (grades 9-12). There are seven

categories in each division. Categories are grouped by presentation

type. Students may create individual or group (2 to 5 students per

group) performances, documentaries, or exhibits, or they may submit

an individual historical paper. The top three winners in each category

at the regional are invited to enter the state contest, which will be held

on the campus of the University of Missouri at Columbia.

The theme for this year's competition was "Triumph and Tragedy in

History.” Over 200 performances, video presentations, and poster

displays created by area high school and middle school students were

judged by the faculty. Winners from each of these categories will

compete at the state History Day contest at the University of Missouri

-Columbia on April 12, 2008.

Archaeology Quest is a new academic competition in the field of ar-chaeology for individual students and groups of students in Grades 4-12 in Missouri. Archaeology Quest is not intended to involve students in doing archaeological research but rather in doing research on ar-chaeological topics. This is the first year of the competition.

Each year a broad theme is selected for the Archaeology Quest con-test. Students may select any topic that relates to archaeology in Mis-souri or in a national or world setting. It may involve either prehistoric archaeology or historic archaeology or a combination of the two, within the limitations of that year's theme. Regardless of the topic chosen, each entry should be presented in such a way that the student research and conclusions clearly relate to the annual theme. After participating in the Archaeology Challenge for several years, the program was recently conceived and developed by Teachers Carl Gatlin (Latham Middle School) and Terre Chambers (High Point Middle School). Dr. William C. Meadows (ANT) serves as the Southwest Regional Coordinator of the Competition.

The competition recently completed its eighth year. This year's theme was "Eureka - Great Archaeological Discoveries." last year’s Archaeology Challenge had 23 participants. This year 49 entries were submitted from Highpoint, Latham, and Fordland schools in the Southwest Regional Competition of the Missouri Archaeology Quest.

Several of their displays focused on aspects of Egypt, Aztec, the Mediterranean, and American Indian cultures. The state competition

is scheduled for April 5, 2008 at the 2008 Missouri Archaeological Society State Meeting in Springfield.


Archaeology Quest 2007-2008

Religious Studies Department Sponsors Important Public Presentation of Recent Research on Biblical Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Religious Studies Department and the College of Humanities and Public Affairs hosted

a public lecture at 7:30 p.m. on February 4, 2008 in the Plaster Student Union Theater. The

lecture, entitled “So What’s Happening with the Dead Sea Scrolls Today?” was presented by

Dr. James C. VanderKam, professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame.

“The Dead Sea Scrolls are the most important archaeological find in the area of Biblical

studies of the Twentieth Century,” said Dr. John Strong, associate professor of religious

studies at Missouri State. “While the story of their discovery and publication has all of the

thrill and intrigue of a spy-novel, it is what they tell us about the texts of the Bible and Juda-

ism in the 1st Century A.D. that make them of lasting value. To have Dr. VanderKam on

campus, who is one of the world’s preeminent scholars of the scrolls, is a great opportunity

for us all.”

VanderKam has focused his research on Jewish literature of the second

temple period and the Dead Sea Scrolls and served as a member of the

team that published the scrolls. Among his books are The Dead Sea

Scrolls Today (1994) and The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls (2002, co-

authored). In 2005, VanderKam became editor of the Journal of Biblical

Literature.

During his two-day visit to the campus, VanderKam also gave a guest-

lecture in an upper-level archeology class and met with religious studies department students, staff and faculty.

http://calendar.missouristate.edu/item.asp?EventID=14440&LinkedDate=2/4/2008&date=yes&month=2&year=2008


Dr. George Conner (PLS) and Christopher W. Hammons (Associate Professor of Political Science at Houston Baptist University)

recently published a comparative study of American state constitutions which offers insightful overviews of the general and specific

problems that have confronted America’s constitution writers since the founding. Each chapter reflects the constitutional history

and theory of a single state, encompassing each document’s structure, content, and evolution. Requiring more than five years of

research and writing, this volume is grounded in the model presented by constitutional scholar Donald S. Lutz in The Origins of

American Constitutionalism so that even when a state has a relatively stable constitutional history, Lutz’s framework can be used to

measure the evolving meaning of the document. With contributors drawn from state governments as well as academia, this is the

first work to offer a framework by which state constitutions can be analyzed in relation to one another and to the federal Constitu-

tion.

The volume begins with chapters on the New England, Mid-Atlantic, Border, and Southern states. While regional similarities within

and between the New England and Mid-Atlantic states are noteworthy, the colonial

aspect of their history laid the foundation for national constitution-making. And while

North and South moved in distinct directions, the Border states wrestled with conflict-

ing constitutional traditions in the same way that they wrestled with their place in the

Union.

Southern states that seceded are shown to have had a common set of problems in their

constitutions, and the post–Civil War South emerged from that conflict with a constitu-

tionalism that was defined for it by the war’s victors. These chapters reveal that consti-

tutional self-definition, while not evident in all of the former Confederate states, has

redeveloped in the South in the intervening 140 years.

Sections devoted to the Midwest, the Plains, the Mountain West, the Southwest, and

the West reflect the special circumstances of states that arose from American expan-

sion. Chapters describe how states of the Midwest, united by common roots in the

Northwest Ordinance, wrote constitutions that were defined by that act’s parameters

while reflecting the unique cultural and political realities of each state. Meanwhile, the

Plains states developed a constitutionalism that was historically rooted in progressiv-

ism and populism, sometimes in the clash between these two ideologies.

Perhaps more than any other region, the Mountain West was defined by the physical

landscape, and these chapters relate how those states were able to define their individ-

ual constitutional identities in spite of geography rather than because of it.

This valuable publication demonstrates the diversity of our governmental arrangements and provides a virtual introduction to the

political culture of each of the fifty states.

Political Science Professor co-authors important comparative study of American State Constitutions


Dr. Kenneth Rutherford (PLS) recently published a candid, detailed historical and

political narrative of U.S. Intervention in Somalia entitled Humanitarianism Under

Fire: The U.S. and U.N. Intervention in Somalia, (Kumerian Press, 2008). The inter-

national humanitarian intervention in Somalia was one of the most challenging opera-

tions ever conducted by US and UN military forces.

Until Somalia, the UN had never run a Chapter VII exercise with large numbers of

troops operating under a fighting mandate. It became a deadly test of the UN’s ability

carry out a peace operation using force against an adversary determined to sabotage

the intervention.

Rutherford’s study argues that this remarkably complicated intervention was one of

the first cases of multilateral action in the post-Cold War era. Rutherford presents new

information gleaned from interviews and intensive research in five countries. His evi-

dence shows how Somalia became a turning point in the relationship between the UN

and US and how policy and strategy decisions in military operations continue to refer

back to this singular event, even today.

Political Science Professor publishes detailed historical and political narrative of U.S. intervention in Somalia

Gabriel Ondetti (PLS) recently published a major monograph entitled Land, Protest, and Politics: The Landless Movement and the

Struggle for Agrarian Reform in Brazil (Penn State University Press, 2008). His focus on the Brazilian Landless workers movement

is unique. Brazil is a country of extreme inequalities, one of the most important of which is the

acute concentration of rural land ownership. In recent decades, however, poor landless workers

have mounted a major challenge to this state of affairs.

Ondetti, in his book, shows how a broad grassroots social movement led by the Movement of

Landless Workers (MST) has mobilized hundreds of thousands of families to pressure authori-

ties for land reform through mass protest. This book explores the evolution of the landless

movement from its birth during the twilight years of Brazil’s military dictatorship through the

first government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-present).

Ondetti also uses this case study of the Brazilian landless movement to test a number of major

theoretical perspectives on social movements and he engages in a critical dialogue with both

contemporary political opportunity theory and Mancur Olson’s classic economic theory of col-

lective action.

Anthony Pereira, professor of School of Development Studies at the University of East Anglia,

commented in a review that “Gabriel Ondetti has written an important book. For those inter-

ested in Brazil’s landless movement, this new and persuasive explanation of the rise of the

movement combines a focus on the political opportunity structure with subjective and cultural

factors left out of much mainstream analysis… Ondetti’s book combines, in a rare fashion, in-

depth research at the grassroots level, a rigorous theoretical argument, substantial use of macro-

level data, and a comparative Latin American focus. It is the best work on this topic currently available.”

Missouri State Political Scientist Publishes Ground-breaking Study on the Landless Workers

Movement in Modern Brazil

Dr. John Strong (REL) collaborated with Dr. Marc Tur-

nage and Amy Turnage, of the Lashon Institute, and Rev.

Alf Halvorsen, currently the head pastor of 1st Presbyterian

Church, Bethlehem, PA (formerly associate pastor at 1st and

Calvary, in Springfield) to lead a study tour to Israel, March

7th to March 17th.

The group consisted of about 50 members of 1st and Cal-

vary Presbyterian Church and the Springfield region at

large, as well as 5 more from 1st Presbyterian Church in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the study tour

was to make available to the general community some of

the archaeological findings and results from Biblical Stud-

ies in regard to the land of Israel.

The group explored many sites important in the history of ancient Israel, including Megiddo, Dan, Beth Shean, and, of course, the

Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Pertaining to the New Testament times and the life of Jesus of Nazareth, the group visited Caesarea

Maritima, Sepphoris, Capernaum, Qumran, and again, those parts of Jerusalem important in the New Testament story, such as the

temple mount and the Garden of Gethsemane.

Above all, the study tour contextualized the gospels and the life of Jesus and the early church within Jewish traditions during that

time, as well as the political climate of that period. The study tour also had an opportunity to reflect on the modern situation in Is-

rael. The group visited the land the week after the tragic shooting in a Jerusalem Yeshiva (Seminary) and Bethlehem the day after

four militants were killed there in a move by the Israeli forces.


Religious Studies Professor Leads Study Tour to Israel

History Professor served as Prestigious Cameron Fellow at the Centre

for Reformation Studies at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland

During his time as Cameron Fellow at the Centre for Reformation Studies

at the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland, Dr. Eric Nelson (HST)

gave two major invited lectures. The first invited lecture “Piety in the

Parish: Mapping the Sacred Landscape of Rural France 1500-

1700” was presented the Saint Andrews Reformation Studies Institute

in May 2007. It examined the interaction between the evolution of church

furnishings and the ritual landscape of the Blaisois. The second invited

lecture, entitled “Rural Parishes in their Landscapes: Parish Proces-

sions in the Blaisois 1500-1700,” was presented to the Graduate School

at the University of York, England. This paper focused on the evolution

of rural parish processional life in the Loire valley over two centuries.

He also gave a paper at the meeting of The Society for the Study of French

History which focused on the impact of Catholic Renewal reform efforts

on two specific traditions of processional life in the Blaisois.


Sociology and Criminology Professor nominated for Disability Services Award

Dr. Mike Carlie, Professor of Sociology and Criminology, has been nominated for the SUCCESSability

Award by Missouri State University’s Student Disability Services. For the past couple of years, students with

disabilities have expressed a desire to recognize outstanding faculty and staff for creating such a welcoming

and accessible environment on our campus. Students, exhibiting Disability Pride, feel it is important to iden-

tify exceptional faculty and staff who incorporate principles of universal design. The SUCCESSability

Award has been given by Missouri State University’s Disability Services annually since its creation. The

proactive efforts of these award winners and nominees help assure that everyone has full access to university

life.

Professor Carlie also had his most recent paper, “Why Gangs Form,” published in the July issue of Law En-

forcement Executive Forum, the peer-reviewed journal of Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards

Board Executive Institute. Moreover, his online book, Into the Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of

Street Gangs, continues to be adopted by criminal justice and community agencies throughout the United

States as they attempt to learn more about why gangs form, why some people join them, and what can be

done to reduce gang activity. Over 70,000 readers have visited the website of the book where it appears in its

entirety - including over 2,400 links to the Internet for additional gang-related information.

As the negotiation process for an international treaty to ban cluster munitions

reaches its height, Dr. Kenneth Rutherford (PLS) will serve as one of a panel

of four experts who will speak at Harvard Law School and provide their perspectives on the campaign to ban

these weapons and educate the Harvard Law School community. Cluster munitions are large weapons that con-

tain dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions. They cause great harm to civilians both during attacks, be-

cause they spread their submunitions over large areas, and afterwards, because many of the submunitions do not

explode on impact, killing and maiming civilians for months or years to come. In February 2007, the Norwegian

government initiated the Oslo treaty process to ban the use, production, stockpiling, and trade of cluster muni-

tions by the end of 2008. After a series of international conferences attended by more than 130 states, treaty

negotiations are scheduled to conclude in Dublin, Ireland, this May.

1. Simon Conway (Landmine Action, UK) – Simon is Director of the UK-based organization Landmine Ac-

tion and a Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition, a network of 200 civil society organizations that have

joined together to advocate for national and international measures to ban the use of cluster munitions. Between

1998 and 2004, he worked for a British demining agency in Abkhazia, Cambodia, Eritrea, Kosovo, and Sri

Lanka and personally cleared cluster munitions as well as landmines.

2. Bonnie Docherty (Harvard Law School Human Rights Program) – Bonnie is a lecturer and clinical instruc-

tor in the Human Rights Program and a researcher at Human Rights Watch. She has spent much of the last seven years documenting the harm

caused by cluster munitions. She has engaged in field research about the effects of cluster munitions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, and Lebanon. A

graduate of Harvard Law School, Bonnie also writes about how international humanitarian law can be used to argue for a ban on the use of cluster

munitions.

3. Steve Goose (Human Rights Watch, USA) – Steve is Executive Director of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch and a Co-Chair of the

Cluster Munition Coalition. Steve was also involved in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and served as an advocate and activ-

ist in the treaty process that resulted in the 1997 treaty banning the use of anti-personnel mines. The ICBL was co-recipient of the Nobel Peace

Prize for its contributions to the Mine Ban Treaty.

4. Ken Rutherford (Landmine Survivors Network, USA, Missouri State University) – Ken is Co-Founder of the Landmine Survivors Net-

work and an associate professor of political science at Missouri State University. As a landmine survivor who lost both his legs in Somalia, Ken

has been active in promoting bans on both landmines and cluster munitions. His focus is on helping to raise awareness of the needs of survivors

and on pursing victims’ assistance provisions.

Political Science Professor to serve

as one of four panelists to speak at Harvard Law School:

. . . on the international treaty to ban

cluster munitions on April 16, 2008


Recently, Dr. Suzanne E. Walker-Pacheco (ANT) won the 2007 Leslie Hewes Award for the best social

science article published in the Great Plains Research Review in that journal year. The article published

last year in the journal Great Plains Research, entitled "Population Characteristics and Health Service Use

by Latino Immigrants to Southwest Missouri," was co-authored by Suzanne E. Walker-Pacheco, Susan

Dollar, and Ravindra Amonker. The article has been selected by the Center for Great Plains Studies Publi-

cations Committee as the winner of the 2007 Leslie Hewes Award for best social science article published

in 2007. The co-authors in this article examine the rapid influx and new demographic patterns of Latino

immigrants to the United States which have precipitated numerous pressing issues, among them health

and healthcare disparities.

The article studies the relatively recent phenomenon of high Latino immigration rates to rural areas which

is increasingly common in the Midwest and Great Plains states, where they are drawn by the labor mar-

ket. As the authors found, a rural setting, low socioeconomic status, and high concentrations of minorities have been shown to be closely inter-

twined, and such regions are often medically underserved. Such describes rural southwest Missouri, where the authors collected data in four coun-

ties on demographics, socioeconomic factors, healthcare perceptions, and use of medical services by Latino immigrants.

The article concludes by proposing outreach efforts that emphasize preventive healthcare to better incorporate Latino immigrants and

augment their health status, and thus those of their communities at large.

Anthropologist and her Co-Authors win a

prestigious Publication Award for recent

article

The Center of Archeological Research (CAR) at Missouri State has recently completed work on the virtual mu-

seum “Where the Wilson Meets the James.” Last June CAR received a grant of $5,987 from the Missouri Humani-

ties Council to create the Web site.

The virtual museum features information and pictures that focus on the history of the area just southwest of

Springfield where the James River and Wilson’s Creek meet. CAR has held its summer field school in this loca-

tion, commonly known as Delaware Town (named after a large Delaware Indian settlement that once occupied the

area) since 1999. The research that has been done at Delaware Town ranges from pre-historic man up to the Civil

War Battle of Wilson's Creek. While doing research in the Delaware Town area, Missouri State faculty and stu-

dents have uncovered thousands of artifacts that they are now combining to create the virtual museum.

Laboratory supervisor Gail Emrie said the Web site is a great way to showcase the work that CAR has done at Delaware Town. “The virtual mu-

seum allows us to bring to life the work that has been done by the faculty and student workers over the many years we have worked in the area,”

said Emrie.

Dr. Holly Jones, research archaeologist and assistant research professor, said that the virtual museum should draw many people to the research that

has been done at Delaware Town. “The virtual museum is a new and wonderful way to get information about Delaware Town to the general pub-

lic,” said Jones. “People can go to the museum and view the information for free without ever leaving their home.”

The virtual museum can be viewed at http://delawaretown.missouristate.edu/. For more information about CAR or the virtual mu-

seum, contact Emrie at (417) 836-4894.

Center for Archaeological Research receives Web site grant

http://www.missouristate.edu/car/

http://delawaretown.missouristate.edu/


Religious Studies graduate student Adam

Park (G.A., REL) has won the 2008 Albert

Clark Award, a national honor. This prize

is awarded by Theta Alpha Kappa (TAK),

the national honor society for religious

studies and theology.

Park won in the category of best graduate

student paper. Written for Professor James

Moyer’s “Basic Issues in Biblical Interpre-

tation” course (REL 630), Park’s paper

used the philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre to exegete a passage from the

Gospel of Mark. His paper used existentialism to highlight what he

called the “ambivalences of faith.”

Park’s submission will be published in the biannual Journal of Theta

Alpha Kappa. He will also receive $500 from the honor society and

an additional $100 will be given to the local Missouri State University

chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa. In 2007 TAK had well over 200 chap-

ters across the United States. The society was founded in 1976.

Religious Studies

Graduate Student receives national honor

In this publication, the co-authors study an important topic in

research on nonprofit organizations which involves understand-

ing the various influences that contribute or detract from the

overall effectiveness of nonprofit organizations. One particular

set of factors, the roles and characteristics of boards of direc-

tors, serves as the focus of this study.

The co-authors highlight some of the more recent empirical

studies that examine nonprofit effectiveness. They then report

findings from Phase One of a two-part study that examined the

relationship between executive directors of nonprofit organiza-

tions and their respective boards.

The aim of this study was

to examine how dynamics

in the relationship be-

tween executive directors

and nonprofit boards, as

well as various character-

istics of boards (e.g.,

composition of members,

level of involvement),

contribute to perceived

effectiveness of nonprofit

organizations. CHPA student one of two

undergraduates awarded national scholarship

Two Missouri State University undergraduate students were recently awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman Interna-

tional Scholarship in the amount of $5,000. The scholarship is awarded by the U.S. Department of State, the Bu-

reau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education.

The scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students pursing a degree at a two-year or a four-year institution.

Students use the award to fund study abroad programs worldwide. For the spring 2008 application cycle, 400 stu-

dents were chosen from a field of 1,369 applicants.

Rona Babb (Global Studies) received one of these two national awards, and she will be using her Gillman Schol-

arship to study in South Korea during the spring 2008 semester. Babb is a sophomore from Green Forest, Ark. and

a 2006 graduate of Green Forest High School. Babb is one of the first global studies majors in the CHPA at Mis-

souri State; her emphasis is in language and culture, with a minor in Asian studies.

She serves as secretary of Amnesty International and is a member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Organization, Gamma Alpha

Lambda Christian Sorority, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Korean Student Association and the Christian Campus House. Babb is

a recipient of the Multicultural Leadership Scholarship and the United States Department of State Critical Language Scholarship.

Public Administration Professor

co-authors recent publication

with two MPA Graduate

Students


Six criminology majors (Brittany Davenport, Stacie Hammer, Sarah Handlang,

Oliver Hoedel, Tylene VanGelder, and Kristen Zegar) took a trip to the Annual

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) conference in Cincinnati, OH for

four days in March. These students were funded through a CHPA Dean’s Incen-

tive Initiative grant written by two faculty members of the department of Sociol-

ogy, Anthropology and Criminology: Ms. Ivy Yarckow-Brown (CRIM) and

Dr. Aida Hass (CRIM), who are both the co-advisors of the Sigma Mu Sigma,

the Missouri State University Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, which is the National

Criminal Justice Honor Society.

Five of the students were chosen to attend the conference after being appointed

as officers for Sigma Mu Sigma for the 2008 – 2009 academic year, which will

include obligations of sponsoring a criminology student conference and fund

raising events. The sixth student, Tylene VanGelder, was sponsored to attend the conference as she had been selected by the ACJS committee to

present a paper she authored about racial issues in pre-trials.

While in attendance at the conference, each of the students had opportunities to attend many paper presentations, roundtable panels, and similar

events. They were also participating in National Alpha Phi Sigma events and developing networks at graduate school and presidential receptions. A

few of the students took advantage of outstanding opportunities to complete ride-along tours with the Cincinnati Police Department. The Hampton

County Sheriff’s Department offered a tour of their jail facility to several students.

In addition, three of the students from the Missouri State University group, participated in a National Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) competi-

tion. These students were Sarah Handlang (senior, double major in criminology and chemistry), Brittany Davenport (junior, criminology major) and

Oliver Hoedel (junior, criminology major). They were joined by Missouri State University graduate student, Matthew Brown (community and

agency counseling) to form a team for this event. Approximately fifteen to twenty teams competed in the competition and the Missouri State Uni-

versity team received third place honors.

Overall, this has proven to be an excellent educational opportunity and networking experience for each of the six students who were funded through

the grant monies and supported by their faculty co-advisors. Through the entirety of the trip, each student presented themselves as a professional

that Missouri State University’s College of Humanities and Public Affairs should be proud of.

Dr. Jamaine Abidogun (HST), a member of the Provost Diversity Outreach

Committee, participated as a faculty sponsor at the United States Hispanic Lead-

ership Institute held in Chicago this March. Eighteen Missouri State University

students participated at the conference in various panels and symposia in order to

develop leadership skills.

This year's Midwest Hispanic Student Leadership Conference (MHSLC) at-

tracted leaders from 60 student organizations representing at least 40 colleges

and universities from states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and more.

The MHSLC provides opportunities for advanced leadership skills development, and promotes unity among Hispanic student leaders attending

colleges and universities in the Midwest.

The USHLI has developed into one of the most powerful, nationally and internationally recognized Latino organizations in the country by organiz-

ing and conducting nonpartisan voter registration and leadership development program in 40 states. This organization has been able to maintain a

stable presence in hundreds of communities over the years by promoting empowerment and civic responsibility. The mission of the United States

Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) is to fulfill the promises and principles of democracy by empowering minorities and similarly disenfran-

chised groups and by maximizing civic awareness and participation in the electoral process.

The MSU students who participated in this conference will utilize these skills on our campus to work across student organizations to increase diver-

sity awareness and improve our campus climate.

History Professor sponsors participation of Eight-een Missouri State Students at the United States

Hispanic Leadership Institute held in Chicago

Two Criminology Professors win CHPA Incentive Grant to send six MSU

criminology majors to Annual Criminal Justice Conference in Cincinnati

Pam Burrier (CAR) has been an employee of the Missouri State University

for over 30 years, serving as Administrative Secretary at the Center for Ar-

chaeological Research (CAR) since 1990. She has been a valuable employee

of the University and continues to work at CAR on a part-time basis.


Transitions

Pam Burrier Leaves the Center for

Archaeological Research

Professor Robin Amonker Retires from MSU

Robin Amonker (SOC) is retiring at the end of the Spring 2008 Semester after

spending forty-one years at Missouri State University. Dr. Amonker earned a Ph.D.

in Sociology from St. Louis University in 1973 after coming to Missouri State in

1968. Over these years he literally taught thousands of students “Introduction to So-

ciety,” “Research Methods,” “Demography,” the freshmen orientation course, along

with a general education capstone course on population trends. Dr. Amonker was

very popular among honors students and he received both an Excellence in Teaching

Award from the Missouri State Foundation and the Outstanding IDS 110 Teacher of

the Year Award. In addition, Amonker authored fifteen refereed journal articles and

countless other publications, technical reports, and conference papers. He frequently

engaged in research projects with other faculty, often mentoring newer schol-

ars. Following retirement, Robin and his wife Alka will remain in Springfield, en-

joying their grandchildren. Robin also plans to continue teaching a few courses in the

Sociology Program.

Gary Brock (SOC) will also retire at the end of the Spring 2008 Semester. Dr.

Brock received a Ph.D. in Sociology from St. Louis University in 1983, the same

year he came to Missouri State as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Reli-

gious Studies. In 1987, he moved to the Department of Sociology and Anthropol-

ogy. Dr. Brock regularly taught “Introduction to Society,” “Social Problems,”

“Social Movements,” “Sociology of Religion,” as well as “Society and the Fu-

ture.” He also was a popular teacher in IDS 110, “Introduction to University

Life.” Brock is an accomplished and dedicated college instructor who dedicated

most of his professional career to classroom teaching and influencing the lives,

minds, and successes of various generations of students. The Department certainly

will not be the same without Gary Brock! Gary and his wife Judy plan to stay in

Springfield following retirement, enjoying time with their grandchildren.

Professor Gary Brock Also Retires from MSU in 2008


There are several College Scholarships available for undergraduate

and graduate students. These include:

Strong Family Graduate Scholarship

J.C. and Sara Edna Young Scholarship

Al and Margaret Hemphill Scholarship

CHPA General Scholarship

Additional information on these College Scholarships can be obtained from the College Office (STRO 207)

2007 CHPA Dean's List

A Dean’s list is prepared at the end of each semester listing the names of undergraduate degree-seeking students who

earned at least 12 hours of graded credit in the fall or spring semester or 6 hours of graded credit during the summer ses-

sion, with a semester grade point average of 3.50 or better. Last semester's Dean's List Scholars are shown above.

CHPA SCHOLARSHIPS

http://www.missouristate.edu/chpa/27138.htm




CHPA GIVING


Name: ____________________________________________________________________

Address, City, Zip:___________________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________ Email: _________________________________________

Would You Like to Contribute? The size of scholarships at both the gradu-

ate and undergraduate levels needs to be augmented, as does the outside

speaker (Warren) lecturer fund. In addition, while Strong Hall is quite

lovely and is equipped with state-of-the-art projection systems, it still lacks

artistic decoration such as paintings and sculptures. If you would like to

send a donation to help the College of Humanities and Public Affairs aid its

undergraduate and graduate students or in other ways enhance our educa-

tional mission, please print out this form and send it to: Missouri State Uni-

versity Foundation, 901 S. National Ave., Springfield, MO 65897-0089.

Please make your check payable to: Missouri State Foundation / On-Line Pledge Form:

http://www.missouristate.edu/campaign For more information please contact Dr. Victor Matthews, College

of Humanities and Public Affairs at 417. 836.5529 or [email protected]

Please specify where you would like your donation applied:

_____ Bernice S. Warren Lecture Series _____ Endow Classroom

_____ Area of greatest need _____ CHPA General Fund

_____ CHPA Scholarship _____ Equipment or Art

I/We would like to make a contribution of: _____ $50 _____ $100 _____ $500

_____ Other (please specify amount)

http://www.foundation.missouristate.edu/pledges/chpa/chpapledge.html

mailto:[email protected]

Spotlight on Spring 2008Dean’s Corner: Dean Lorene H. Stone

Documents

Transcript of Spotlight on Spring 2008Dean’s Corner: Dean Lorene H. Stone