Acclaimed Actor Delivers Performance of The Great Divorce at UNK

On Wednesday, February 22, the Philosophy Department will present a theatrical performance by Mr. Tony Lawton of The Great Divorce, a novel by C.S. Lewis. The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Recital Hall and is free and open to the public.

Tony Lawton has adapted C.S. Lewis' novella, The Great Divorce, into a 90-minute, solo performance. Lewis' own favorite among his works, The Great Divorce is the story of Clive, a hapless professor, who, along with a motley band of malcontents, takes a very curious bus ride—from hell to heaven. They are each offered a chance to stay in heaven forever if they like, but the choice proves to be much harder than anyone would have guessed. Journeying between hell and heaven, Clive crosses a surprising, wildly inventive landscape drawn by Lewis' philosophical imagination. The piece is a feast of rich language, profound psychological insight, and humor. Satirical and comic, The Great Divorce is a wondrous ride filled with dazzling insight and language.

Lawton's performance has gained the following critical attention:

"Unmissable! From the quiet, seemingly casual beginning to the unforgettable final moments, Lawton has us in the palm of his hand." – Philadelphia City Paper  “Now this is storytelling. Anthony Lawton holds us rapt -- you can feel the intensity of the audience's attention -- with his masterful performance in The Great Divorce. . . . Each character. . . comes to life through Lawton's voice as he walks that fine line between the dramatic and the narrative. He brings the old-fashioned, very literary vocabulary to life. Masterful solo show of a C.S. Lewis tale... this is a show for the season." –Philadelphia Inquirer  "Brilliantly conceived and performed... as intelligent and provoking an evening as I've spent at the theater in a long time." – Broad Street Review

ANTHONY LAWTON has acted professionally since 1992. He has acted in Philadelphia for more than fifteen years. Favorite roles include Coleman in The Lonesome West, Austin in True West and Feste in Twelfth Night ; George in Of Mice and Men; and his one-man performances in The Devil and Billy Markham, The Great Divorce and The Screwtape Letters. He has also appeared in the films Unbreakable and Invincible, as well as on television in Hack and Cold Case. Lawton was a 1999 finalist for the F. Otto Haas Award. Philadelphia’s City Paper named him the city’s “Best One-Man Theatre.” His original play, The Foocy, first produced in 2005-06, received five Barrymore nominations, including one for Best New Play. In 1998, he started the Mirror Theatre Company, which performs solo and small-cast plays. The mission of the Mirror is: Spiritual Theatre for a Secular Audience. The company is committed to presenting drama about our spiritual life that will be of interest to all audiences, secular or religious.  Lawton wants his plays to be part of an ongoing dialogue with the audience -- a dialogue in which we discuss and consider that which is (or isn't) Eternal in us.

CLIVE STAPLES LEWIS (1898-1963) was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After beginning studies at Oxford in 1917, he was called up to fight in World War I; he was wounded in France at the Battle of Arras, and returned to Oxford in 1919. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English at Magdalen College in Oxford until 1954, at which time he was named Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English (a chair created especially for him) at Cambridge. Late in his life (1956), he married Helen Joy Gresham (Davidman), who died three years later. Lewis died on November 22, 1963 (the same day President John F. Kennedy was shot). In his mid-twenties, Lewis, persuaded by several of his friends (including J.R.R. Tolkien), converted from a staunch atheism to Christianity. After his conversion, he wrote several books which still sell millions of copies every year all over the world. These works are varied, ranging from his works of Christian apologetics (e.g. Mere Christianity), to his satire and fiction (e.g. The Screwtape Letters, The Space Trilogy, Till We Have Faces) to his series of children’s books (The Chronicles of Narnia).

- David Rozmea, Chair of the Philosophy Program

32 Proposals from UNK Accepted for 2012 NCUR

The 2012 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will take place March 29-31 at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. This year, 32 of UNK’s 34 student research proposals were accepted. UNK’s acceptance rate of 94% this year is above the overall acceptance rate of 87%! The students will participate in oral and poster presentation sessions, joining with approximately 2,800 undergraduate students from institutions across the country.

Congratulations to these undergraduate researchers and their mentors:

- written in collaboration with John Falconer and Susan Campbell, Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

New Interim CTE Director Assumes Leadership Spring 2012

Dr. Krista Forrest, Professor of Psychology, will serve as Interim Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence in the Spring Semester 2012.  Krista brings a wealth of experience to the leadership of the CTE including receipt of two UNK Creative Teaching Awards (2003, 2005 and 2011) along with the Pratt-Heins Teaching Award in 2011.  In addition, she has passion and dedication to the continuous enhancement of quality teaching across the UNK campus.  Krista is developing an excellent program for the spring that will contribute to the continuing role of the CTE in advancing UNK's teaching agenda.

Many thanks to Dr. Doug Biggs for his exemplary service in leading the CTE over the past year.  Doug actively encouraged faculty to participate in a combination of conventional CTE presentations along with new and timely presentations.  The latter included panel discussions focused on General Studies and Assessment, student disabilities and the 120-hour degree plan.  Doug took a truly university-wide perspective engaging faculty and staff from across campus in discussions about effective teaching.  We appreciate Doug's work and the enthusiasm he exudes in always trying to determine the right thing to do on behalf of our students.

- Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

WIN seeks your bold ideas, funding needs

University of Nebraska organizations or groups striving to address critical community needs or wishing to make a significant local or state impact with their programs may now submit funding ideas to Women Investing in Nebraska (WIN).

For information and to submit an online letter of inquiry for consideration, go to http://womeninvestinginnebraska.org/ by March 1.

WIN will award two grants this year of equal value. One grant will be awarded to an organization or group affiliated with the University of Nebraska and a second grant will be awarded to a charitable organization operating in Nebraska and not affiliated with NU. Each grant award will be $65,000 or greater.

WIN was established in 2011 by the University of Nebraska Foundation and its women in philanthropy committee to connect women and involve them in local philanthropy. Members of WIN pledge to make a gift each year for three years. Its members then grant 50 percent of their combined annual contributions to a Nebraska nonprofit organization and 50 percent to a University of Nebraska organization or group.

“Each of us involved with Women Investing in Nebraska is looking forward to our inaugural grant funding year,” said Lisa Smith, chair of WIN’s executive committee. “We especially hope to hear from Nebraska organizations with bold, innovative ideas or ventures.”

WIN is also seeking new members. To learn more about membership and upcoming events, go to http://womeninvestinginnebraska.org/ or contact Tracy Edgerton at 402-458-1160 or 800-432-3216.

- Robb Crouch, University of Nebraska Foundation

Library - In Brief Online

PsycBOOKS e-book collection now available  

Written by Jon Ritterbush, E-Resources and Serials Librarian 
ritterbushjr@unk.edu 

The library has recently added a subscription to PsycBOOKS, a searchable collection of over 3,000 scholarly e-books in psychology and behavioral science, including the APA/Oxford University Press Encyclopedia of Psychology and these titles:

• Creating responsible learners: The role of a positive classroom environment 
• Helping families and communities recover from disaster: Lessons learned from hurricane Katrina and its aftermath 
• Practicing psychology in rural settings: Hospital privileges and collaborative care 
• Protecting human subjects: Departmental subject pools and institutional review boards 
• Road rage: Assessment and treatment of the angry, aggressive driver 
• Rural behavioral health care: An interdisciplinary guide 
• Study strategies for lifelong learning 

PsycBOOKS is listed under the alphabetical directory of the library’s “Articles & E-Resources” webpage, as well as under the subjects of Communication Disorders, Family Studies, Psychology and Counseling, and Social Work. A complete list of titles available in PsycBOOKS is available online, and many of these titles will also appear in library catalog results, as their records are made available.

2011 ‘State of E-Resources’ at UNK  

Written by Jon Ritterbush, E-Resources and Serials Librarian 
ritterbushjr@unk.edu 

This is the time of year for "State of the Union" and "State of the State" addresses, and thus the Calvin T. Ryan Library presents its "State of E-Resources at UNK" report:

As of December 31, 2011, the library provides access to:

• 79,326 unique, full-text e-journal titles (paid and free) – up from 60,883 titles in December 2010.
• 14,635 cataloged e-book titles – up from 9,274 titles in 2010.
• 218 databases (paid or free) including these new databases added in 2011:
  • American Periodicals Series 
  • Selected Archives Unbound collections of primary source material
  • Films On Demand streaming video collection
  • PsycBOOKS e-book collection
  • Wilson's Core Collections 
   

As of January 1, 2012, the library is expanding access to e-journals through the SpringerLink e-journal package (1,820 titles) and the Oxford Journals Online package (238 titles). Also new this month: Ebrary e-book collections in history, political science, education and the humanities spanning over 20,000 titles. Search these e-book collections within Ebrary now, or look for these titles to appear in library catalog search results soon!

Recognition

2011-2012 Department Chairs

- Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Items to Note for Faculty and Faculty Committees

• Academic Affairs Committee
  The link to the CAP ("Course Approval Process") information is located on the Academic Affairs Committee page. CAP is the electronic approval system that allows department chairs to initiate course proposals (create, alter, inactivate, or discontinue). Worksheets for both the creation of new courses and the alteration of existing courses are available on the CAP web site for faculty members to use as they gather the information department chairs will need to submit requests. Department chairs initiate program proposals (create, alter, or discontinue) using a paper form, which is available on the Academic Affairs Committee page, along with instructions.
  
  The schedule of Academic Affairs deadlines for the 2011-2012 academic year is available on the Academic Affairs Committee page. The page also contains a committee roster and a link to the approved Academic Affairs minutes. Department or program chairs needing to make curricular changes should be aware of these deadlines and instructions.
   
• Faculty Handbook
  The online Faculty Handbook contains the most current policy information. The purpose of the handbook is to gather the documents and policies that inform and guide critical decisions, including the Collective Bargaining Agreement (2011-2013).
   
• Faculty Senate
  To keep faculty informed and in the spirit of shared governance, the Faculty Senate website contains links to the senate roster, meeting agendas and packets, meeting minutes of both the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate committees, and the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws.
   
• General Studies
  The General Studies web site contains a description of the new General Studies Program effective for students entering UNK in the Fall of 2010. The site contains a list of the approved General Studies courses effective for the 2011-2012 academic year, a list of all of the approved Portal and Capstone topics, as well as lists of the Portals and Capstones offerings for the current semester.
   
• Graduate Council
  The Graduate Council webpage contains information regarding changes to graduate courses or programs, as well as a list of the 2011 Graduate Program Committees.
   
• WI/CD Committee
  The WI/CD Committee has posted a schedule of deadlines for the fall semester on the WI/CD Committee page. The page also contains instructions for applying for WI or CD designation, as well as a committee roster, agendas, and minutes. These resources are provided for those wishing to offer courses as WI or CD.

Deadlines Approach for Various Opportunities

CBT Featured Monthly on KGFW's "Talk of the Town"

Colleagues from the College of Business and Technology will be talking with Steve Altmaier on KGFW's "Talk of the Town" program throughout the coming academic year. Listen to the interviews at 9:30 a.m.:

- written in collaboration with Marsha Yeagley, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Management Information Systems

Calendar of Events within the Academic and Student Affairs Division

Edited by Kim Elliott, Coordinator of Academic Publications  

A Publication of the
Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
University of Nebraska at Kearney
905 West 25th Street
Kearney, NE 68849
Phone: (308)865-8209  

For questions or submissions,
contact the Coordinator of Academic Publications at 8935 or academicpublications@unk.edu.