College of Liberal Arts B RIE F Winter 2014 Dear Colleagues, Winter quarter was an exciting one for the College of Liberal Arts, with our outstanding students and faculty achieving landmark goals and winning many awards! We’re excited to share a handful of these with you in this issue of the CLA Brief, but first a few updates: The proposals for the Science, Technology and Society minors were formally submitted to the College of Liberal Arts Curriculum Committee at the beginning of the quarter. We expect to have final college curriculum approvals sometime during spring quarter, triggering submission to the Academic Senate Curriculum Committee. To support these new interdisciplinary minors, we are hiring four new faculty members in a rather untraditional way for Cal Poly — hiring for the position/skill set first, then finding a tenure home within a traditional-discipline department. We received more than 500 applications for these four positions from highly qualified candidates. Hires have been made in Media Arts, Society and Technology, and in Gender, Race, Culture, Science and Technology. We are just completing interviews for the Ethics, Public Policy, Science and Technology position. It appears that we will continue the Science and Risk Communication search into next year. As you know, the CLA proposed to bring its College Based Fee (CBF) to the same level as every other college at Cal Poly. Although the majority of student constituent groups supported the proposal, the popular vote was barely negative, with 493 negative votes compared to 490 positive votes. Although he personally believed that the proposed equalization of the CLA CBF was appropriate and desirable, President Armstrong could not advance the proposal to the Chancellor with a positive recommendation due to the negative student vote. We are considering next steps as we continue in our commitment to provide our students with the same level of support and opportunities as received by others at Cal Poly. I invite you to read about the impressive accomplishments of CLA faculty, students and alumni highlighted in this issue of the CLA Brief. As always, thank you for your leadership at Cal Poly and your collaborations with and support for the College of Liberal Arts. Best Wishes, Doug ? /calpolycla ? cla.calpoly.edu in the news HACK ATHON: DESIGN AND INNOVATION SHOWCASE TAKE IT SLO HARMONIZES WITH JASON MRAZ Cal Poly’s a cappella singing group, Take It SLO, performed two songs with singer-songwriter Jason Mraz at his concert March 19 in the Performing Arts Center. The group accompanied the Grammy-winner in singing “I’m Yours” and “Live High.” Watch a behind-the-scenes video shot by Mraz’s crew, http://goo.gl/Y6Qq jb. MUSTANG BAND MARCHES IN CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE The Cal Poly Mustang Band took part in the Feb. 15 Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco, named one of the Top 10 Parades in the world by the International Festivals and Events Association. Cal Poly was one of only two university bands invited. Parade judges awarded the Mustang Band first place in the Adult Marching Band category. POLYPHONICS AND ARAB MUSIC ENSEMBLE PERFORM AT CARNEGIE HALL PolyPhonics, Cal Poly’s premier chamber choral ensemble, and the Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble traveled to New York to give the showcase performance at the World Projects 2014 New York Choral Festival, at Carnegie Hall, March 16-18. The ensembles also performed at the Graduate Center in New York City and at St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia, Penn. PHILOSOPHY CLASS ESSAYS ON PUBLIC ART FEATURED Five students from Philosophy Professor Eleanor Helms’ class were provided the cover story of the Jan. 1 New Times. In the feature, students presented a critical analysis of public art pieces in San Luis Obispo. The students were: Bradley Williams (Architecture), William Ho (Software Engineering), Ryan Kadlec (History), Aaron Landrith (Architecture), and Lily Meryash (Political Science). Read the essays at http://goo.gl/iyNp4F. community engagement SLO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING AT CAL POLY The Center for Expressive Technologies hosted a reception, screening and discussion of the documentary “If You Build It,” on March 7, as part of the 20th annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. The evening concluded with a discussion on the practice of responsible design, featuring representatives from Journeyman International and ConsciousBuild, organizations focused on environmentally and socially conscious design build projects. student success GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION STUDENT SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Mariah Cochiolo, Cal Poly softball, was selected as the Scholar Athlete of the Year for the Big West Conference. She has earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.6 and has consistently been named to the Dean’s List. Cochiolo, a Santa Maria native, previously received an honorable mention for the 2013 All Big West Conference and earned the title of NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete for 2011 and 2012. As a graphic communication major, she also has aspirations to enter the wine labeling industry or marketing and design after graduation. DEBATE TEAM ON WINNING STREAK Already this year, the Cal Poly Debate Team finished as Finalists at the UC Davis Tournament and the Pan American Championship, hosted by the University of Miami. The team won the title of Champion, debate’s highest honors, at the Loyola Marymount Invitational, Hawaii Cup, and the University of Hawaii’s Pan-Pacific Universities Debate tournaments. CLA STUDENTS SELECTED FOR CSU RESEARCH COMPETITION INTERNATIONAL PRINTING WEEK EXPLORED FUTURE OF INDUSTRY The Graphic Communication Department celebrated a successful 2014 International Printing Week Jan. 27-31. The department commemorated the annual week-long celebration with a lecture series and related events centered on the theme “The Future of Graphic Communication.” The event drew student and industry interest, with over 400 participants, 32 presenters, and 21 Career Day exhibitors. dashboard at a glance Led by Graphic Communication Professor Lorraine Donegan, the Feb. 8 Hackathon encouraged students from all disciplines to pool their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to develop apps, websites or other projects that would make life better for Cal Poly and the community — all within a 12-hour time frame. The Hackathon, an annual event, encourages the sharing of ideas and team building and gives students the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. 44 STUDENT AWARDS 2 FACULT Y AWARDS & GRANTS 13 FACULT Y PUBLICATIONS Bryan Pride (MPP) and Nicola Williams (History) were two of 10 Cal Poly students selected to represent the campus in the statewide CSU Research Competition, taking place May 2-3 at CSU East Bay. Pride’s project is based on his independent, graduate-level research titled, “Taking Back the Farm: How Corporate Farms Create Food Insecure Communities.” Williams’ research, based on her Senior Project, is titled, “Fashion, Feminism and Morality: A New Look at the New Woman.” c ont in ued 82,756 SCUs TAUGHT $639,826 PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS RAISED YTD $ student success, continued faculty accolades MUSTANG NEWS GARNERS 20 NATIONAL AND STATE AWARDS TRICE AWARDED FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR AWARD Mustang News, the student-run integrated newsroom, received numerous national and state awards, during the National College Journalism Convention Feb. 27-March 2. The Associated Collegiate Press awarded Mustang News first in Best of Show — Website Large School category and first in Best of Show — Multimedia Package. Mustang News received third place for Best of Show — Special Section. Staffers also received 17 awards from the California College Media Association. Tom Trice (History and Women’s & Gender Studies) is currently teaching at the Padma Kanya campus in Kathmandu, Nepal, as part of his Fulbright Scholar award. Read more: http://goo.gl/ApkRBR. HUM 341 STUDENTS WIN PITCH PERFECT VIDEO COMPETITION AWARDS Students from the course Cinematic Process (HUM 341) won several awards at Kennedy Library and Orfalea College of Business’ Pitch Perfect Video Competition. The competition was open to all Cal Poly students with the requirement to produce a 60-second video on the theme, “You are the consultant — what opportunities do you see to improve services and raise the profile of your library through partnership and innovation.” HUM 341 students received the following accolades: » Best of Orfalea: Sarah Islas (Business), Dempsey Davis (Anthropology/ Geography, Media Arts and Technology minor), Alice Terz (Journalism, Media Arts and Technology minor) » Most Creative: Kathryn Cassidy (Graphic Communication, Media Arts and Technology minor) » President’s Pick: Jack Reynolds (History), Marissa Lebert (English), Rachael Burhnam (Journalism, Media Arts and Technology minor), Paige Thornley (Journalism, Media Arts and Technology minor) To view the videos, visit: http://goo.gl/oA6my0. MOCK TRIAL QUALIFIES FOR OPENING ROUND CHAMPIONSHIPS The Cal Poly Mock Trial team qualified for the Opening Round Championships (ORC), the precursor to the National Championships. This was the first time in eight years that Cal Poly sent representatives to ORC. Additionally, the B team finished in a three-way tie for 6th place, narrowly missing qualification for the ORC. Both the B and C teams received honorable mention for the Spirit of American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), awarded for the teams that demonstrate collegiality and professionalism. THEATRE STUDENTS RECOGNIZED BY KENNEDY CENTER AMERICAN COLLEGE THEATRE FESTIVAL In recognition of their work on last year’s production of “A Year With Frog and Toad,” Ian Billings and Cadence Mitchell (Theatre & Dance) received Meritorious Achievement Awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Billings was recognized for his work on the lighting design and Mitchell for her role as assistant director. ALANIZ NAMED WORLD SOCIAL SCIENCE FELLOW, HELPING U.N. WITH DISASTER ISSUES Ryan Alaniz (Social Sciences) was accepted as a World Social Science Fellow and attended an international academy in Christchurch, New Zealand, as a presenter in December. Additionally, Alaniz is working with the United Nations on disaster relief-related issues and possible protocols. This past December, Alaniz was selected as one of The Tribune’s 2013 Top 20 under 40 award winners. Read more: http://goo.gl/ERN7dY. LISBERGER AT CAL POLY AS SUSAN CURRIER VISITING PROFESSOR Jody Lisberger was the recipient of the 2013-14 Susan Currier Visiting Professorship for Teaching Excellence. An associate professor and director of the Gender and Women’s Studies Program at the University of Rhode Island, Lisberger taught at Cal Poly for the fall and winter quarters in the Women’s & Gender Studies Department. As part of her professorship, Lisberger presented a lecture titled “Teaching to Disrupt Gender: Challenging the Myth of Disposable Women” on Feb. 12. LAWLER BROUGHT NEW PERSPECTIVE TO SLO Brian Lawler’s (Graphic Communication) work was on display in a photography exhibition at the San Luis Obispo Art Museum this winter. Titled “SLO PANO,” the exhibit showcased many of Lawler’s panoramic photos. Included in the show were historic photos of San Luis Obispo, Camp San Luis Obispo, Tank Farm, and Avila Beach. Lawler returned to the exact locations of the historic photographs wherever possible, recreating panoramic photos using modern photographic techniques. KCET Artbound featured Lawler and his exhibition; read more: http://goo.gl/QHG7wB. outstanding alumni JENZEN NAMED CSU DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS Doug Jenzen (M.A., History 2011), executive director of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, was honored as a distinguished alumnus in the category of Public Administration and Nonprofit by California State University. Read more: http://goo.gl/oYtdBA. continued outstanding alumni, continued FORSY THE AND ICRACKED MAKE FORBES’ LISTS Before graduating, AJ Forsythe (B.S., Psychology 2011) founded iCracked in 2010, an ondemand iOS device repair and buyback network. In four short years, the company has witnessed exponential growth. Forbes recognized the company this year as No. 17 on its list of America’s Most Promising Companies and also named Forsythe one of the Top 30 Under 30 Individuals in Technology. HERRON PUBLISHES NOVEL ‘PACK UP THE MOON’ Rachel Herron (B.A., English 1998) was featured in the New Times for her new novel “Pack Up the Moon.” Herron gave a reading of the book at the San Luis Obispo Barnes and Noble on March 8. Read more: http://goo.gl/LY5ZBT. FIVE CLA ALUMNI IN TRIBUNE’S TOP 20 UNDER 40 Whitney Diaz (B.S., Journalism 2008), Jon Ansolabehere (B.A., Political Science 2004, MPP 2005), Anna Boyd-Bucy (M.S., Psychology 2007), Angella Holmes (B.S., Social Sciences 2002), and Ryan Alaniz (B.A., History 2000) were selected as five of The Tribune’s 2013 Top 20 under 40 award winners — published in a special section of The Tribune in February. “Now in its ninth year, the competition honors the accomplishments and achievements of young women and men under the age of 40 who have demonstrated excellence in their professions and commitment to community service.” Read more: http://goo.gl/ERN7dY. TUBBS’ FILM ACCEPTED AT SLOIFF Steffan Tubbs (B.S., Journalism 1992) produced and directed the film “Life, Liberty and Resilience,” accepted at this year’s San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, March 5-9. Based on Tubbs’ book of the same name, the film was also screened at the Unspoken Human Rights Film Festival, the Boston Film Festival, and the St. Louis International Film Festival. View the trailer and information about the accompanying book at www.steffantubbs.com. upcoming events MAY 8-10: THEATRE PRODUCTION: “BL ACK CAT CABARET” MAY 9: OPEN SCIENCE CAFE WITH STEVE DUENES FROM THE N.Y. TIMES (PL ANNED BY ART & DESIGN STUDENT WINNER ALI ALBIANI) NOW—MAY 15: UNIVERSIT Y ART GALLERY — ANNUAL JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION JUNE 6: CL A FACULT Y AND STAFF AWARDS RECEPTION JUNE 13: CL A STUDENT AWARDS RECEPTION JUNE 14: SPRING COMMENCEMENT