Winter 2021 Kudos
Politics and COVID-19 dominated the headlines this fall, and several Dickinson faculty members were go-to sources for election- and pandemic-related stories.
(Kudos as of Dec. 2, 2020)
Featured Faculty
Professor of Asian Law & Society Neil Diamant co-authored The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century, published by Cornell University Press.
Professor of Earth Sciences Ben Edwards and Will Kochtitzky ’16 were featured by Columbia University’s State of the Planet/GlacierHub for their recently published research on glaciovolcanism, “Global Mapping of Future Glaciovolcanism,” in Global and Planetary Change (Volume 195, December 2020). Edwards also co-authored “A 3 m.y. Record of Volcanism and Glaciation in Northern British Columbia, Canada” with Gwen Dunnington ’10 and Robert Jansen ’11, which was published in Untangling the Quaternary Period—A Legacy of Stephen C. Porter (Geological Society of America, October 2020).
Professor of American Studies and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Amy Farrell, whose book Fat Shame was recently released in Italian, was interviewed by Grazia, one of the most popular Italian magazines. An article about her book also was published in Sette, a national weekly magazine.
Lecturer in Psychology Michele Ford was quoted in The Sentinel article “A COVID Winter: Pandemic Likely to Aggravate Mental Health Issues During the Holidays.”
Assistant Professor of Political Science Kathryn Heard conducted a live TV interview on ABC27 discussing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing and legacy.
Professor of Psychology Marie Helweg-Larsen’s research on optimism bias continues to make national and international news. She was interviewed by Marketplace for its story “Here’s Why Some Are Too Optimistic About the Pandemic.” The interview aired on more than 50 NPR member stations nationwide. She also discussed the exhaustive nature of COVID-19 and assessing personal risk of contracting it for a story published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Helweg-Larsen also was interviewed by BBC Radio Scotland about the Danish concept pyt; discussed what makes nations like Denmark happy for CNN. com’s story on the opening of the Happiness Museum; and discussed the Danish concept of hygge for an article in Natural Health magazine. Helweg-Larsen was also one of several industry experts tapped by CreditDonkey for its series on engagement rings.
Instructor of American Studies Darren Lone Fight was quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer story “Kamala Harris Follows Kaw Nation’s Charles Curtis As the Second Person of Color to Become Vice President.”
Visiting Professor of International Security Studies Jeff McCausland continues to have several op-eds related to President Trump published by NBC News THINK. One, “Trump’s ‘Losers’ And ‘Suckers’ Troops Scandal Is One Final Call to Action for America,” was picked up by Apple News and RealClear Politics and was referenced in The Week. McCausland also was a guest on WITF’s Smart Talk discussing his new book, Battle Tested: Gettysburg Leadership Lessons for 21st Century Leaders.
Associate Professor of Political Science Sarah Niebler provided expert analysis and commentary in the weeks leading up to the election and after the election. She was interviewed on multiple occasions by WWL First News New Orleans, FOX43 and ABC27 for both live and prerecorded interviews. On FOX43, Niebler discussed how Pennsylvania could be the deciding state in this year’s presidential election. On WWL First News New Orleans she discussed the first presidential debate. Niebler also was a live guest on ABC27 news on Sept. 28 analyzing the first presidential debate and again on Oct. 23 discussing the final debate. She was interviewed by CBS21 discussing an uptick in mail-in voting, and her op-ed, “Slow Election Results Don’t Mean Fraudulent Results. Here’s Why,” was published in the Penn Capital-Star.
Associate Professor of Political Science David O’Connell, who teaches a course on politics and pop culture, was quoted by The Hollywood Reporter for a story on the future of the celebrity candidate. The story also was published in Billboard. O’Connell was interviewed by Newsweek for a story on President Trump’s chances of winning Pennsylvania, and he was among a group of experts tapped by the outlet WalletHub to break down the significance of Election Day this year and throughout history. O’Connell was a fourtime guest on FOX43 news discussing the debates and Pennsylvania’s odds of losing a congressional seat. In a Sept. 28 interview with CBS21, he discussed Pennsylvania’s critical role in the election. O’Connell also discussed congressional actions before the November elections for a story published on the websites of more than 100 Sinclair Broadcasting Group affiliates. On election night and the morning after, O’Connell was a live guest on FOX43 news. He was a two-time guest on WITF’s Smart Talk during election week breaking down the latest developments. O’Connell also was the subject of The Sentinel’s feature “5 Questions With.” He discussed his published research on Congress and Instagram.
Associate Professor of History Emily Pawley’s oped “Pennsylvania Water Is Not What It Used To Be” was published by PennLive.
Professor of History Matthew Pinsker’s op-ed “When Lincoln Faced Rigged Elections” was published in the New York Daily News. Additionally, in the wake of the first presidential debate, Pinsker was a guest on KUER NPR Radio Utah discussing the LincolnDouglas debate and was a featured guest for an hourlong program on “The Dirty Days of America’s Elections.”
Associate Professor of Philosophy Crispin Sartwell joined Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Douglas and A.E. Stallings among other notables who published brief essays on election results in the Times Literary Supplement.
Professor Emeritus of Classical Languages Robert D. Sider published Erasmus on the New Testament (University of Toronto Press, 2020).
Associate Professor of Dance Sarah Skaggs explained how Dickinson’s dance program was taking advantage of videoconferencing technology to connect students to experts in a piece in Teen Life magazine.
Professor of Creative Writing Adrienne Su’s latest book, Peach State, which was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, is a collection of poems that elevate and honor domestic spaces, especially the kitchen.
Professor of Music Amy Wlodarski’s book George Rochberg, American Composer (University of Rochester Press, 2019) was awarded the annual Book Prize from the Jewish Music Studies Group of the American Musicological Society.
Administrator Accolades
Associate Provost and Executive Director of the Center for Global Study & Engagement Samantha Brandauer ’95 discussed the importance of partner programs and staff in decision-making in NAFSA’s International Educator magazine’s “One Pandemic, Many Perspectives.” She also was quoted in Education Dive’s story, “How Liberal Arts Colleges Are Making International Students Feel Welcome.”
Vice President for Enrollment Management Catherine McDonald Davenport ’87 was in several major news outlets this fall. Dickinson was highlighted in the Inside Higher Ed story “Admissions Without Tests,” and President Margee Ensign and Davenport were quoted extensively. Davenport also was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal for its story on how applicants are evaluated when test scores aren’t considered. Davenport was one of nine enrollment experts who provided advice for students applying to college during the pandemic in a story published in The New York Times. Davenport was quoted in the Forbes column “Fact-Checking College Admission.”
Director of West Coast Recruitment Phil Moreno was a live guest on the KMAX program Good Day Sacramento, sharing tips and advice for students applying to college during the pandemic.
Director of the Center for Sustainability Education Neil Leary was a featured expert for Mashable’s report on “8 Ways Climate Change Is Already Impacting You.”
Associate Vice President of Sustainability & Facilities Planning Ken Shultes ’89 and College Farm Special Projects Manager Matt Steiman were featured guests on WITF’s Smart Talk discussing the College Farm’s innovative new foodwaste diversion initiative that recently received funding from the EPA. The Philadelphia Inquirer also reported on the food-waste diversion project, which was awarded a $300,000 EPA grant. Shultes and Steiman were quoted in the story “Pa. College Plans to Power Two Farms from Cafeteria Waste, Cow Manure and Brewery Scraps.” News about the grant also was published in several other outlets, including PA Environment Digest.
Provost and Dean of the College Neil Weissman was quoted in “How Managers Prepared Professors to Teach During a Pandemic” by the Society for Human Resource Management.
President Ensign in the News
President Margee Ensign’s latest op-ed, “Why Losing International Students Is A Big Blow To Higher Education,” was published in The Hechinger Report. Ensign wrote, “America, the world leader in higher education, stands at the precipice of losing the economic, intellectual and cultural contributions international students bring to our society and its college and university communities. This trend is also a harbinger of this country’s loss of soft power around the world.”
Ensign discussed Dickinson’s spring semester decision with University Business.
A new public health initiative launched by the Carlisle Community Action Network (CAN)—a group founded by Ensign—was covered by every news outlet in Central Pennsylvania: WITF, ABC27, WGAL, CBS21, FOX43, The Sentinel and PennLive.
Ensign also discussed the economic impact COVID-19 has had on Cumberland County colleges and universities with The Sentinel.
Read more from the winter 2021 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
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Published February 15, 2021