Message From the CAS Dean, Summer 2013

Dear Friends and Alumni of the College,

As commencement festivities for the Class of 2013 draw to a close, we are all reminded of the cycle of endings and beginnings that mark the academic year.  Students have left for home or work or travel; faculty have fled after completing their task of grading papers and submitting final grades; even administrators are hard to find as classrooms get cleaned, offices get painted, and the new library renovation moves into its final phase.

Please enjoy reading about some of the highlights of the past Spring Semester here in the College.  My wishes that this summer is a time of blessing and enjoyment for you and your family, whether you are staying close to home or traveling to an exotic far-away land.  Summer reminds us that the earth is filled with God’s abundant grace.  There are a number of important gatherings on campus this summer, from conferences to alumni reunions to concerts and plays. I hope you will have a chance to visit the Bluff sometime over the summer.  In any event, I wish you and your family God’s blessings in anticipation of the great feasts of Memorial Day and Independence Day.  I pray that this summer be a time of joy and reflection of the earth’s good gifts and God’s abundant love in your life.

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Over the last six months, students and faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences have received a number of significant awards.  Tara Maginnis, Assistant Professor of Biology, has been awarded a grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust for $40,500 to study “The Evolutionary Significance of Leg Loss and Regeneration in Crabs.”  CAS students Claire Couch (Sophomore, Biology) and James Gaynor (Junior, Chemistry) have received prestigious scholarships from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.  Bob Butler, Professor of Environmental Science, was named recipient of a $625,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to train educators in Oregon and Washington coastal communities on the region’s earthquake and tsunami hazards; he also received theOregon Academy of Science 2013 Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics.  Drama Adjunct Instructor Andrea Stolowitz won the Oregon Book Awards Drama Prize for her play “Antarktitos.”  At the recent Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Performing and Fine Arts Associate Professor Mindi Logan won the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion, and student (senior) Jessica Hillenbrand won the National Partners American Theatre Classical Acting Award.

CAS student organizations also won significant praise regionally and nationally.  Student editors in the History department were awarded first prize in the Gerald D. Nash History Journal national competition for its student journal, Northwest Passages.  The College sent two competing Mock Trial squads to the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Opening Round Championships in Memphis, Tenn.  Voice students from the Department of Performing and Fine Arts participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Festival Competition for Classical Singers from Oregon and Southwest Washington, and freshman Lydia Blaine won first place in her division.  Veronicca Solis, a current Theology major and graduating senior, has been accepted into the Holy Cross Overseas Lay Ministry Program.

Students from CAS have also been active in various off-campus events.  Sophomore Ruby Machado (Political Science) presented a paper at the annual student-led Human Development Conference in Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, February 8-9, 2013.  Junior Andrea Merrill (Sociology/Psychology) also attended the conference as an observer.  The University Singers under the direction of Michael Connolly and with assistance from David De Lyser, traveled to the Puget Sound January 9-13, performing at seven high schools, three churches, and a large retirement community.  The History Department’s Rho Pi Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta national history honors society hosted the Northwest Regional Conference on April 4-6, which included 140 student presenters from over 20 different schools around the region.

Tenure and Promotion:  The College recognized influential professors within its ranks this spring: Warren Wood of Chemistry and William Curtis of Political Science were tenured and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, and Professor Edward Valente of Chemistry was awarded tenure.  David Alexander, Associate Professor of Biology, was awarded the Becky Houck Award for Excellence in Advising and honored by Dean Michael F. Andrews, Ph.D. at the CAS All-College Celebration February 27.

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Dr. Michael Andrews