http://newscenter.iupui.edu/ News about Arts and Humanities from Newscenter en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:09:21 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4344/African-Burial-Ground-Project-Director-Prolific-Author-Earn-Lifetime-Achievement-Awards-at-African-Studies-Conference http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4344/African-Burial-Ground-Project-Director-Prolific-Author-Earn-Lifetime-Achievement-Awards-at-African-Studies-Conference An anthropology professor from The College of William and Mary and a history professor from the University of Texas at Austin are the recipients of inaugural lifetime achievement awards presented during the 1st Public Scholars in African Studies International Conference on Globalization. The conference was held Oct. 29-31, 2009, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Michael L. Blakey, Ph.D., the National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Anthropology at William and Mary, received the Africana Studies Distinguished Public Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors Blakey particularly for his 12-year role as scientific director of the New York African Burial Ground Project. Toyin Falola, Ph.D., the Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History at UT Austin, received the Africana Studies Distinguished Global Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award that recognizes an individual who can more accurately be described as the “quintessential scholar’s scholar,” and someone whose scholarship has had a significant impact on the global academy. IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz presented both awards during the awards dinner held Oct. 31, 2009, at University Place Conference Center and Hotel on the IUPUI campus. Both Blakey and Falola received unanimous votes from the subcommittee that evaluated the dossiers and portfolios of award nominees. Blakey embodies the very notion of public scholarship, particularly with his work to move the New York African Burial Ground Project “from a national secret to a national monument,” according to IUPUI Professor Bessie House-Soremekun, Ph.D., the conference organizer. Blakey’s methodical work as a bio-archaeologist was central to the Burial Ground Project, in terms of understanding the people, their lives, and where they came from. His 200-person team worked with the remains of more than 400 individuals and a million non-burial artifacts The William and Mary professor arranged and participated in lab tours, site visits and community forums about the burial ground project. He gave numerous media interviews and public lectures, and was a focal point in a PBS series broadcast in 1996. It was particularly fitting that Falola received the Global Scholar Lifetime Achievement award at this time because this is the year that he has achieved his goal of publishing more than 100 books, House-Soremekun said. “A genre-bender of extraordinary talent, (Falola’s) contributions are wide-ranging and have covered all aspects that we label as Africana Studies, from history to literature, economics to political economy, religion to culture, and even the creative zones of poetry and the memoir,” House-Soremekun said. During the conference Falola presented a luncheon keynote speech on the topic “Africana in the Margins: The Past and Future of Globalization.” The theme of the Public Scholars in Africana Studies conference was “Rethinking Economic Development in the Context of Globalization: Entrepreneurship, the Knowledge Economy, and Sustainable Development. About 575 people participated, House-Soremekun said. His Royal Majesty, Oba (King) Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, Okukenu IV, Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Nigeria, was the keynote speaker for the awards dinner. Gbadebo discussed “The Changing Role of Nigeria in the 21st Century Knowledge Economy.” The conference featured outstanding scholars from universities and colleges representing Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. IUPUI conference sponsors included the IUPUI 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee; the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI; the Office of the Assistant Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research; Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Lifelong Learning; the Committee on African and African American Studies; the Office of the Vice Chancellor for International Affairs; the African American and African Diaspora Studies Program; and the Olaniyan Scholars.   Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_toyin falola final_dsc8883[1]0.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_toyin falola final_dsc8883[1]0.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4345/History-of-Muslim-America-Makes-Publishers-Weekly-Best-Books-List http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4345/History-of-Muslim-America-Makes-Publishers-Weekly-Best-Books-List An Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) professor’s history of Muslims in the United States is on the Publisher’s Weekly list of Best Books of 2009. Edward E. Curtis IV’s book, “Muslims in America: A Short History,” published in October 2009 by Oxford University Press, Inc., traces the history of followers of Islam in America from the 18th century to post 9-11 America. “This accessible history by a scholar who is not among the usual academic talking-head experts on Islam brings breadth and nuance to an important subject,” Louisa Ermelino writes in the Nov. 2, 2009, Publisher’s Weekly online article about the 100 books chosen for the Best Books list. Professor Curtis “has authored a fine and succinct history that spans centuries. ...Unmatched for its breadth of sources, this is also one of the few books in the field to cover both immigrant and indigenous (African-American) American Muslims. ...Photographs, chronology, edited selections from chosen narratives, and a Further Reading Section provide useful jumping-off points for the reader, who will undoubtedly be intrigued by Curtis's compelling little read,” says the Publisher’s Weekly review. Curtis, who has written or edited five other books, begins the first chapter of the 168-page paperback for general readers with the story of the 1730 or 1731 arrival in Annapolis, Md., of a West African Muslim aboard a slave ship. “Americans generally think of Muslims as immigrants who are fresh off the boat. This book shows that they have been part of America before the United States was founded,” said Curtis in an e-mail interview. “It recovers the essential role of Muslims in U.S. history and incorporates them into our common notion of who we are as Americans. By unearthing our shared past, the book provides us with new memories of who we have been and new hopes for what we might become.” The preface of the IUPUI professor’s book includes the author’s recounting of a modern-day news story. Curtis tells of a neighbor’s 2007 campaign to prevent the installation of foot baths in the new terminal of the Indianapolis International Airport. The neighbor, according to a newspaper report, considered installation of the baths, proposed to serve African Muslim cabbies who regularly washed their feet before performing their daily prayers, “fraternization with the enemy.” “I have written this book so that non-Muslim Americans may come to understand Muslim Americans just a little better,” Curtis writes. At IUPUI, Curtis is a professor of religious studies in the School of Liberal Arts. He teaches several courses, including “Intro to Islam,” “African American Religions,” “Religion and Racism,” and “Islam in America;” and he directs the Jordan Summer Abroad program. Curtis, who earned a doctoral degree at the University of South Africa, holds a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s from Kenyon College. The Millennium Chair of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, Curtis is currently a Fulbright Fellow and working as Visiting Professor of American Studies at the University of Jordan. As for “Muslims in America” making the best 100 books list, “I feel proud, grateful, and a little bit lucky,” Curtis said, “My hope is that it helps me get my message across to more people. The story of Muslim Americans is the American story. Like every other group of people, they are not angels or demons, but ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) human beings who have contributed to the making of America.”   Note to Reporters and Editors: Edward E. Curtis IV can be reached for interviews via e-mail at ecurtis4@iupui.edu; voice or video call by Skype at Regan.Zwald in Amman, Jordan; or by phone at 011-962-6-79-796-9426.   Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_curtis book signing photo.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_curtis book signing photo.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4337/Music-and-Arts-Technology-Dept-to-Present-Graduate-Student-Recital http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4337/Music-and-Arts-Technology-Dept-to-Present-Graduate-Student-Recital The Department of Music and Arts Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis will hold its graduate student recital this month. The recital, titled “The Colors of Music,” will take place at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 30, 2009. in Room 152 of the Informatics and Communications Technology Complex, 535 W. Michigan St. Free and open to the public, the recital will include performances by 17 graduate students in the masters of music technology program on the IUPUI campus. The Department of Music and Arts Technology is part of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. The Master of Science in Music Technology curriculum provides post-baccalaureate education in areas of computer-based music technology, multimedia and interactive design and multimedia production techniques. The primary object of the program is to bring new and emerging digital arts technology to students as they relate to a new discipline defined as music technology. The curriculum establishes the creative application of multimedia technology to video, audio and graphic production of arts and educational materials.   Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_it building img_039 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_it building img_039 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4325/Entrepreneurial-Mayors-to-Share-Thoughts-as-Spirit--Place-Public-Conversationalists- http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4325/Entrepreneurial-Mayors-to-Share-Thoughts-as-Spirit--Place-Public-Conversationalists- The public is invited to eavesdrop on a spontaneous conversation between two entrepreneurial public servants - John Fetterman, the 39-year old mayor of Braddock, Pa., and Bill Hudnut, the venerated former four-term mayor of Indianapolis – as the two men discuss how society creates and re-creates inspiring places. The 14th annual Public Conversation, featuring Fetterman and Hudnut in a dialogue moderated by Indiana author Scott Russell Sanders, will take place from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St., Indianapolis. The Public Conversation is the closing marquee event of the Spirit and Place Festival, a collaborative community project managed by The Polis Center, part of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. Spirit & Place Director Pamela Blevins Hinkle has compared the 10-day festival to a community potluck for which the festival administrators set the theme and invite community organizations and groups to prepare programs as “potluck dishes” to be shared with others. The 2009 festival runs Nov. 6 through Nov. 15. The theme is “Inspiring Places.” This year's festival is expected to engage about 20,000 people in 40 events sponsored by more than 100 organizations throughout central Indiana. About 85 percent of the events, which celebrate the arts, humanities and religion, are free of charge. With Hudnut and Fetterman at center stage, the Public Conversation will continue its traditional presentation of dynamic and thought-provoking dialogue. During his 16 years as mayor (1976-1991), Hudnut helped transform Indianapolis as he labored to advance the “Unigov” concept, promote entrepreneurial public-private partnerships, and develop the city’s plan to become a “sports capital.” In an Indianapolis Monthly Magazine opinion poll published in October 1996, 35 percent of the responders considered Hudnut as Indianapolis’s best mayor. Fetterman won election as Braddock’s mayor in 2005 by one vote. In a November 2009 Atlantic Monthly article Fetterman is listed as one of 27 “Brave Thinkers” because of his efforts to “save (Braddock) by luring artists and small businesses with loft apartments, cheap rent, and other inducements . . . It’s an utterly idealistic experiment in extreme urban renewal with next to zero financial backing—one that could totally fail, or perhaps serve as a model for other devastated industrial towns.” No tickets are required for the Public Conversation which is free of charge. An audience question-and-answer session will follow Fetterman’s and Hudnut’s discussion. The evening’s program will conclude with a “surround sound” performance featuring multiple choirs. For a complete listing of scheduled Spirit and Place programs, go to: www.spiritandplace.org or call (317) 274-2455.   Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_mayor-john-fetterman.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_mayor-john-fetterman.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4322/From-the-Desk-of-the-Chancellor-Oct-26-2009 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4322/From-the-Desk-of-the-Chancellor-Oct-26-2009 IUPUI is proud to host the first Public Scholars in Africana Studies International Conference, October 29-31, at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel. This conference is the result of a commitment the campus made to recruit Public Scholars, faculty members who link their academic disciplines to community institutions. In 2007, three Public Scholars in African American and African Diaspora Studies were hired in the School of Liberal Arts. This was both an important step toward increasing diversity among the faculty and an opportunity to build strength in an interdisciplinary academic discipline that strategically dovetails with our local and international commitment to linking scholarship and civic engagement. These Public Scholars—Bessie House-Soremekun, conference organizer, Ronda Henry director of the Olaniyan Scholars Program, and Modupe Labode—all have started projects, like this conference, that have already brought recognition to IUPUI and Indianapolis.   Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_chancellor-charles-r-bantz-small pic00000.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_chancellor-charles-r-bantz-small pic00000.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4245/International-Scholars-to-Hold-Africana-Studies-Conference-on-Globalization-and-Entrepreneurship-Keynote-Speakers-include-Nigerian-King http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4245/International-Scholars-to-Hold-Africana-Studies-Conference-on-Globalization-and-Entrepreneurship-Keynote-Speakers-include-Nigerian-King Scholars from around the world, including a Nigerian king and entrepreneur, will gather at IUPUI to address globalization and economic development in Indiana, the United States and other countries. The first Public Scholars in Africana Studies International Conference will take place Oct. 29-31, 2009, at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel, 850 W. Michigan St., located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. The theme is “Rethinking Economic Development in the Context of Globalization: Entrepreneurship, the Knowledge Economy, and Sustainable Development.” Conference events open to the general public begin Oct. 30, 2009, and include a book fair, along with workshops and keynote lectures on the effects of globalization on economies around the world. Presentations also will offer solutions on how to rejuvenate the economies of America and other countries. “We are now in the midst of an economic recession in which many Americans have lost their jobs and others continue to lose their jobs every day,” said conference organizer and IUPUI faculty member Bessie House-Soremekun. “Now is the appropriate time to assemble some of the best and brightest minds in the world to discuss these critical issues and offer solutions to be used to create more jobs and wealth in the world today.” Specific topics for discussion include: How to Succeed in Business in the 21st Century Knowledge Economy International Business Opportunities in the Changing Global Economy The Impact of Globalization on Africa and the African Diaspora Keynote speakers include His Royal Majesty Oba (King) Michael Aremu Gbadebo, the Okukenu IV and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland in Nigeria. Gbadebo, an accomplished entrepreneur, will speak on “The Changing Role of Nigeria in the 21st Century Knowledge Economy.” Egbaland, located in southwestern Nigeria, has a population of about 1.5 million. “Oba (King) Gbadebo has by dint of hard work, achieved notable success in the highly competitive world of the private sector, which has strengthened his background for the exalted royal position of the Alake, Paramount Ruler of Egbaland,” House said. “During his successful foray for two decades into the private sector, he has promoted and established interest in five corporate organizations.” Other keynote speakers include Dr. Keenan Grenell, vice president and dean of diversity and associate professor of Africana and Latin American studies at Colgate University; Dr. Toyin Falola, Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History and a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin; and Chief Jimmy Gboyega Delano, president and CEO of Ilora L’Original Beauty Concepts, Inc., which has headquarters in Chicago, Ill., and offices in many countries of the world. Registration for the two days of public events is $150 per person, and covers panel attendance, the plenary session and the keynote luncheon on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009. Registration is $100 for one day of attendance. IUPUI students and Indianapolis high school students can attend for $25 plus the cost of the meals. Tickets for an awards dinner scheduled for Sat., Oct. 31, 2009, are $50 each. IUPUI conference sponsors include the 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee; the School of Liberal Arts; the Office of the Assistant Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research; the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Lifelong Learning; the Committee on African and African American Studies; the Office of the Vice Chancellor for International Affairs; the African American and African Diaspora Studies Program; and the Olaniyan Scholars. For additional information, go to: http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/index.php/signature/C116 .   Posted Sept. 11, 2009 Updated: Oct. 21, 2009 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_king 3 copy.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_king 3 copy.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4304/IU-NealMarshall-Alumni-Club-Reunion-in-Indianapolis-to-Feature-Tavis-Smiley http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4304/IU-NealMarshall-Alumni-Club-Reunion-in-Indianapolis-to-Feature-Tavis-Smiley Nearly 30 years after its founding, an alumni organization that helps to steward Indiana University's African American legacy has planned a major celebration and reunion Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Indianapolis. Among the highlights of the 19th reunion of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club will be an empowerment workshop with popular radio and television personality, author and IU alumnus Tavis Smiley, and a gospel concert by IU alumnus Dr. Leonard Scott and fellow Tyscot recording artists Nu Tradition. In addition, there will be a performance of selected scenes from the play, "sonnets for my sistahs," written by another IU alumnus, Vernon Williams. Most of the reunion events will take place at the University Place Conference Center at IUPUI. The alumni club, which includes African American alumni from all eight IU campuses, has a reunion every two years, and this year opted to expand it to four days of activities. Registration is $150 for all four-days. However, the fee is discounted to $125 for those who register online at https://alumni.indiana.edu/reserve/nation/, (university faculty and staff pay $100 if they register online). The cost for Thursday only is $25; Friday only, $35; and Saturday only, $100. Sunday's gospel concert is free and open to the public. ""The club is extremely important. When you go back to the founding members and the reason it was founded, it's an opportunity to help our graduates reconnect with the university, to stay active and stay involved," Jerrol Z. Miles, national president of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club and a banker based in Louisville, said of the organization. "It's also an opportunity to keep in the forefront the contributions of African Americans at IU." Prior to 1980, African American graduates of IU had few formal ways to stay in touch with each other or their alma mater. That year, 10 founding members created the affiliate club of the IU Alumni Association as a way to increase African American participation in local and national IU alumni groups. Today, its mission includes addressing the needs of black students, faculty and staff, as well promoting awareness of the history, traditions and legacy of African Americans at IU. The club will release at the reunion a new hard-bound, international membership directory of its 22,000 alumni. The club is named for IU's first African American male and female graduates of Indiana University, Marcellus Neal, who received a bachelor of arts degree in 1895, and Frances Marshall, who received a bachelor of arts degree in 1919. "Since its inception in 1981 (when the club was chartered), the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club has exemplified the resilient spirit and legacy of its two pioneering founders, Marcellus Neal and Frances Marshall. The club supplies a successful means to engage alumni with their alma mater," said Tom Martz, president and chief executive officer of the IU Alumni Association. "Neal-Marshall Reunion XIX will contain exciting programs and events to suit everyone, and will provide an opportunity to reminisce and share exciting news, achievements and milestones." The Neal-Marshall Alumni Club has chapters in Atlanta, Louisville/New Albany, northwest Indiana, South Bend and its newest chapter, in Indianapolis. New chapters are being organized in Bloomington, Kokomo and Washington, D.C. Despite his many professional activities, Smiley has maintained close ties to IU and returned on several occasions for major campus events. He has served as grand marshal at homecoming and as a commencement speaker. "Reunions are always a great opportunity for socializing and camaraderie. The Neal-Marshall reunion will be all that and more this year. It's a party with a purpose," added Smiley, who earned a degree from IU in public and environmental affairs and received a a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from IU Kokomo. With his late night television talk show, "Tavis Smiley," and his radio show "The Tavis Smiley Show," Smiley was the first American ever to simultaneously host signature talk shows on both PBS and National Public Radio. "The Tavis Smiley Show" on public radio is now distributed by Public Radio International (PRI). He also offers political commentary on the "Tom Joyner Morning Show," "Meet the Press" and other programs. He is the author or editor of 14 books, including his latest,  Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise (Atria, 2009); What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America (Doubleday, 2006); and Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America (Doubleday, 2002), a collection of narratives about love, loss and faith by African Americans from all walks of life. Smiley also is the founder of the Tavis Smiley Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage, empower and enlighten black youth. Youth to Leaders, the cornerstone program of the foundation, is an annual series of one-day leadership-building conferences that take place in cities across the United States. Other reunion events will include a performance of "sonnets for my sistahs" Thursday evening at the Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio St., including a reception with cast and crew to follow. Friday's activities will include "Jazz on the Avenue: Harvey and the Bluetones," at the Madame Walker Theatre Center, 617 Indiana Ave., a concert and dinner buffet. On Saturday, in addition to Smiley's breakfast presentation, there will be breakout sessions to discuss empowerment, IUPUI campus tours, a performance by the McCutchen and Mahluli Jazz Quartet and a banquet. Sunday activities will include an ecumenical worship service and "Gospel Explosion," featuring Scott, a graduate of the IU School of Dentistry and founder and president of the nation's oldest black-owned gospel recording company, Tyscot Inc. Tyscot has been home to John P. Kee and The New Life Community Choir, Deitrick and Damita Haddon and Bishop Noel Jones and City of Refuge. Scott will perform with Austin Moore and his choir Nu Tradition. For more information, contact the IU Neal-Marshall Alumni Club at nmac@indiana.edu or 800-824-3044.   Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_tavis smiley 7775_h.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_tavis smiley 7775_h.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4238/Author-of-Bestseller-Eat-Pray-Love-to-Speak-at-IUPUI-September-28 - http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4238/Author-of-Bestseller-Eat-Pray-Love-to-Speak-at-IUPUI-September-28 - Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert - most famous for her book “Eat, Pray, Love” - will present her views on “Traveling the Road of Life” on September 28, 2009 at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).  Gilbert’s appearance is hosted by the Department of Tourism, Conventions and Event Management at IUPUI. It is part of the annual Efroymson Lectures on International Art, Culture and Heritage.  She will speak at 7 p.m. in Room 450 at the IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Boulevard. After her remarks, Gilbert will sign copies of her book. The event is free and open to the public.  Described as expansive, exploratory, playful, bright and armed with a comic’s sense of timing, Gilbert became a household name with the 2006 publication of “Eat, Pray, Love.” It is the story of the year she spent traveling around the world in search of personal restoration after a difficult divorce. The book exploded in popularity with women across the planet. It has been published in more than 30 languages with over 5.7 million copies sold.  Gilbert is also the author of a collection of short-stories entitled “Pilgrims” (1998), the novel “Stern Men” (2000) and the critically acclaimed The Last American Man (2002), a nonfiction account of the back-to-basics woodsman Eustace Conway.   Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_elizabethgilbertfull.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_elizabethgilbertfull.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4221/Center-Receives-NEH-Award-to-Impact-High-School-Teaching http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4221/Center-Receives-NEH-Award-to-Impact-High-School-Teaching The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture in the IU School of Liberal Arts, an Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Signature Center, has been awarded $144,637 by the National Endowment of the Humanities to conduct a three-week summer institute for high school teachers on the role of religion in American history and life. Twenty-five teachers will be selected to participate in the institute in July 2010, the goal of which will be to provide vital, embodied examples that teachers can use to make religion’s role come alive in their classrooms alongside other important topics. “It is not possible to understand American culture without understanding religion's social role,” said Art Farnsley, co-director of the project with Philip Goff and Rachel Wheeler. “This grant gives us a tremendous opportunity to leverage our academic leadership in the study of American religion by allowing us to extend our work to high school teachers and, through them, to students all over the country.” The project has additionally been designated a National Endowment for the Humanities “We the People” project and is being supported in part by funds the agency has set aside for this special initiative. “The goal of the ‘We the People’ initiative is to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America,” said Carole M. Watson, NEH acting chairman. The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI is a research and public outreach institute devoted to promoting a better understanding of the relation between religion and other aspects of American culture. Its activities include national conferences and symposia, books, essays, bibliographies, fellowships for younger scholars, a Web site with course syllabi and other resources, a newsletter devoted to the promotion of its activities, and the semiannual scholarly periodical “Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation.”   Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/60_sq_cavanaugh hall 8fwyslyqtdy1.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/images/200_cavanaugh hall 8fwyslyqtdy1.jpg http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4219/Goff-to-Become-Associate-Dean-for-Research-Graduate-Programs http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4219/Goff-to-Become-Associate-Dean-for-Research-Graduate-Programs Philip Goff, Ph.D., professor of religious studies and director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture (CSRAC), has been named associate dean for research and graduate programs in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. The appointment will take effect Nov. 1, 2009. Professor Goff has served as the CSRAC director since coming to IUPUI in 2000. Under his leadership, the center has grown in national and international stature and become one of IUPUI’s signature centers. Over the past 9 years, Goff has also helped obtain nearly $3 million in grants and awards. The author or editor of numerous books and articles, Professor Goff is the co-editor of “Themes in Religion and American Culture” (University of North Carolina Press, 2004) and of “The Columbia Documentary History of Religion in America Since 1945” (Columbia University Press, 2005). He is also the co-editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. “Professor Goff is a highly accomplished scholar with a superb reputation for both his published research and his success in developing funding support for research,” said Bill Blomquist, dean of the School of Liberal Arts. “He is exceptionally well suited to help guide the continued growth in the extent and notoriety of the school’s research and graduate programs.” Prior to joining the CSRAC, Goff spent seven years at California State University, Los Angeles as professor of history and religious studies, serving in several capacities including director of the religious studies program and director of the Center for the Study of Religion. Professor Goff will assume his new role upon the retirement of current Associate Dean and sociology Professor David Ford. Professor Goff will continue to teach courses in religious studies and will serve as executive director of the CSRAC. Arthur E. Farnsley II, Ph.D., will become associate director of the CSRAC.   Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400