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News in Brief
AROUND CAMPUSOld Capitol Museum to present exhibit about history of creative writing at The University of Iowa
A new exhibition at the Old Capitol Museum will show how diverse personalities and historical circumstances combined to make The University of Iowa the “Writing University.” The yearlong exhibition, A Community of Writers: Creative Writing at The University of Iowa, opens with a public reception starting at 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12, at the Old Capitol Museum. Among the items on display in the lower level of Old Capitol for the exhibit: Flannery O’Connor’s master’s thesis; handwritten drafts of Frank Conroy’s memoir, Stop-Time, and Marilynne Robinson’s novel Housekeeping; the 1993 National Endowment for the Humanities Medal of Honor bestowed on the Writers’ Workshop; and a re-creation of former Writers’ Workshop director/International Writing Program cofounder Paul Engle’s desk. A series of smaller, rotating exhibitions related to writing at the University will be posted upstairs in the Old Capitol Museum, outside of the Old Senate Chambers. The first exhibition, The World Comes to Iowa: Portraits of the International Writing Program, opens Friday, Oct. 12, and runs through December. It features portraits of IWP writers by Iowa City photographer Thomas Langdon, who has been photographing IWP writers for the past five years. For more information about the exhibitions and related programming, read the University News Services release at http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2007/september/092707oldcapexhibit.html.
University designated a Gold Level Well Workplace The Wellness Councils of America has designated The University of Iowa as a Gold Level Well Workplace, which recognizes organizations that have successfully built comprehensive workplace wellness initiatives and noted improved health for its employees. UI Wellness, a unit of UI Human Resources, received the award Sept. 20 at the 17th Annual Conference on Worksite Wellness in Des Moines, hosted by the Wellness Council of Iowa. Joni Troester, director of UI Wellness, said the University has achieved success in several areas through its wellness programs, including cost savings through its annual free flu vaccination program. The more than 400 UI employees who participated in the LiveWell program's Health Coach Service met goals related to weight management, stress management, increasing physical activity, and smoking cessation, leading to a decrease in their predicted medical expenditures. UI Wellness also noted a reduction in the percentage of faculty and staff who have behavioral risk factors of physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and unmanaged stress. To learn more about UI Wellness, visit http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/oe/worklife/wellness/.
Ida Beam Scholar to discuss U.S.-Cuban relations, democracy in Latin America Pérez's visit will include the following two lectures: "Cuba and the United States: From Cultural Engagement to Political Conflict" at 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 11, in room 315 of Phillips Hall; and "Democracy in Latin America: Between Expectations and Experience" at 4 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12, in the International Programs Commons, room 1117 of University Capitol Centre (UCC). Both lectures are free and open to the public. Pérez, J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is most known for his groundbreaking work on Cuban history from the colonial period to the republic. His research spans the 19th- and 20th-century Caribbean, with an emphasis on the Hispanic Caribbean. He has written and edited 15 books, and his articles have appeared in the principal journals of the profession. Some of his most influential essays concern analytical approaches to the study of U.S. foreign relations, especially dependency theory and transnationalism.
Leaders break ground for Institute for Biomedical Discovery Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge joined University of Iowa officials, state leaders, and others for a ceremonial groundbreaking Oct. 1 at the site of the future UI Institute for Biomedical Discovery. The new facility, to be built next to the Carver Biomedical Research Building on the health sciences campus, will house laboratories and office space dedicated to cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary research in the biomedical and life sciences, involving scientists from across campus. The new building is part of a larger University effort to bring together scientists from multiple disciplines to pursue research leading to new treatments for patients, create new educational opportunities for students, and bolster Iowa's economy through new jobs and business partnerships. University officials will bid the UI Institute for Biomedical Discovery project in 2008, with construction expected to begin in late 2008 or early 2009. For more information, read the University News Services release at http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2007/september/092807biomedical-discovery.html.
UI Civic Engagement Program to focus on environmental awareness and action To promote its new focus on environmental education and action, the University of Iowa Civic Engagement Program has created a web site to collect local environmental events and resources for UI students and the campus community. With the theme, "Environmental Impact...Go Green Iowa," Civic Engagement will also lead a number of projects and events related to the health of the Iowa River in observance of national Make a Difference Day in October. The new web site—www.uiowa.edu/~gogreen—will help build awareness in the community of current initiatives and projects, upcoming events, and web-based resources aimed at environmental issues and concerns. Groups on and off campus that already have a specific area of interest or programming related to the environment are invited to list information about their projects and events on the web site by contacting the Civic Engagement Program at civic-engagement@uiowa.edu. The web site's launch marks the beginning of a three-year commitment to improving the environment by encouraging members of the University and Iowa City community to think about how they can meet community needs related to the environment through volunteerism, service learning, internships, and programs, said Mary Mathew Wilson, coordinator of the Civic Engagement Program. For more information, visit www.uiowa.edu/~gogreen or call the Civic Engagement Program at (33)5-7589.
Call for Improving Our Workplace Award nominations
See what Learning and Development courses are right for you UI Learning and Development, a unit of Organizational Effectiveness, provides professional development services to faculty and staff. There are many learning opportunities that will support your professional development and growth. Look for classroom instruction on leadership issues for managers, frontline supervisors, human resource professionals, and office professionals. Check out the following links:
DISCOVERIESUI study: pathological gambling has "serious repercussions" A recent report by researchers with University of Iowa Health Care shows that pathological gambling can have a widespread negative impact upon gamblers themselves, their spouses, and their children. The research team concluded that pathological gambling is a serious health concern that significantly and seriously affects individuals and society. Their research results appeared in the August 2007 issue of CNS Spectrums, a national journal serving psychiatric specialists. The researchers reviewed multiple studies that showed pathological gambling appears to run in families. Children of pathological gamblers are more likely to become pathological gamblers themselves. Pathological gamblers and members of their families are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol or be diagnosed with a mental illness such as depression, antisocial personality disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. For more information, read the University News Services release at http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2007/september/092007gamblingstudy.html.
UI engineer Raghavan nets $2.74 million NIH grant to study brain aneurysms Madhavan L. Raghavan, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the University of Iowa College of Engineering, has received a five-year, $2.74 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the biomechanics of brain aneurysms. Raghavan says that the motivation for the project is to help physicians diagnose the severity of brain aneurysms and ascertain their rupture risk better. Traditionally, the size of the aneurysm is considered the key risk factor for rupture. But it is possible that the shape of these lesions is also an important risk factor—perhaps a more important factor, says Raghavan, who will serve as project principal investigator. For more information, read the University News Services release at http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2007/september/092107raghavan-grant.html.
TRANSITIONSRocklin named University of Iowa vice provost Thomas R. Rocklin, senior associate provost for undergraduate education and dean of the University College, has been named vice provost at The University of Iowa. He will retain the title and responsibilities of dean of the University College. Rocklin, a professor of psychological and quantitative foundations in the College of Education, served as interim associate provost for two years before being named associate provost for undergraduate education and dean of the University College in 2006. "Senior" was added to his title in spring 2007 in recognition of additional duties he accepted upon the departure of former Vice Provost Patricia Cain. His appointment as vice provost officially recognizes his responsibility to represent the Office of the Provost when the provost is unable to do so. Rocklin previously served as founding director of the UI Center for Teaching and as chair of psychological and quantitative foundations from 2001 to 2004. He holds master's and doctoral degrees in psychology from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. Rocklin will continue to oversee UI academic support services: the Office of Admissions, the Office of the Registrar, the Academic Advising Center, Student Financial Aid, the Center for Teaching, and Evaluation and Examination Service. He also oversees the credit-generating units that fall under the University College umbrella, including the Honors Program, College Transition, Career Center Programs, study abroad, and ROTC programs. There will be no change in the terms of his current appointment.
David Braun named director of UI Student Health Service David Braun has been named director of Student Health Service at The University of Iowa. As director, Braun will oversee student health care and provide education and wellness programs to promote healthy and balanced lifestyles. He is also responsible for monitoring the campus to prevent and control infectious diseases among students. Braun comes to Iowa from Illinois State University's Student Health Service, where he was a staff physician, chaired the cultural competency committee, and served on its housing appeals board and Alcohol Support Network. Prior to that, he was the primary physician involved with a large multi-specialty clinic's expansion of an after-hours access clinic into a seven-day-a-week urgent care and occupational medicine clinic. He received his MD from The University of Iowa in 1997 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marquette University in 1993. He completed his residency in family practice at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Ind., in 2000. For more information, read the University News Services release at http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2007/september/091907braun.html.
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