Kudos (Spring 2022)

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The war in Ukraine dominated the headlines, and Dickinson faculty members were sought after for expert commentary by CBS Eye on the World and BBC News. Faculty research was highlighted on CNN and NPR, in Science Magazine, WIRED, The Atlantic, The New York Times and Times Higher Education, among others. And our admissions and financial-aid experts talked trends in Forbes and Money.

Featured Faculty

Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology Matthew Biwer discussed the history of coca leaves and how they relate to Coca-Cola in Inverse. His research into the ancient South American Wari civilization’s use of psychedelic-laced beer was featured by more than 30 worldwide outlets, including CNN, Nature, Science Magazine, Archaeology Magazine and LiveScience. His original study appeared in the journal Antiquity.

Research on how boa constrictors breathe as they crush their prey by John Capano ’13, Professor of Biology Scott Boback and Professor of Biology Chuck Zwemer was featured in dozens of news outlets, including NPR, Ars Technica and WIRED. Capano was also mentioned in pieces in The New York Times and The Atlantic.

“Scatter Terrain,” a diverse approach to landscapes both familiar and strange, curated by Professor of Studio Art Anthony Cervino and Shannon Egan, will be on view from March 25 through July 17 in Art Alley on Penn State’s University Park campus.

Visiting Assistant Professor in Archaeology Marie Nicole Pareja Cummings’ research on lions and Mesopotamian kings was cited in the anthropology magazine Sapiens.

Professor of Asian Law and Society and Walter E. Beach ’56 Chair in Political Science Neil J. Diamant published Useful Bullshit: Constitutions in Chinese Politics and Society (Cornell University Press).

Assistant Professor of Economics Xiaozhou Ding was quoted in the Times Higher Education report “Urban Graduates Benefit Most Among China’s ‘Floating’ Population.”

Professor of Mathematics and Data Analytics Dick Forrester’s paper “Strengthening a Linear Reformulation of the 0-1 Cubic Knapsack Problem via Variable Reordering” appeared in the Journal of Combinatorial Optimization.

Assistant Professor of Psychology Christine Guardino’s research on the link between new mothers’ perceptions of social status and their health was published by the American Psychological Association and featured in several news outlets, including Healio, Newswise, Medical Xpress and News Medical.

Associate Professor of Art History Elizabeth Lee published The Medicine of Art: Disease and the Aesthetic Object in Gilded Age America (Bloomsbury Academic, 2022), which shows how well-known works of American art were marked by disease and suggests art itself was a form of medicine forviewers in the late 19th century. She spoke about the project for The Brooklyn Rail’s series “The New Social Environment.” She also published “Charles Lang Freer: Collecting the Disabled Body,” an invited essay for Routledge Companion to Art and Disability (ed. Timothy W. Hiles and Keri Watson, New York: Routledge University Press).

Professor of Religion and Sophia Ava Asbell Chair in Judaic Studies Andrea Lieber was quoted in a Forward article, “Are Virtual Minyans and Avatar Rabbis the Future of Judaism?”

In two stories in The Grand Forks Herald, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, The Jamestown Sun and the Dickinson (N.D.) Press, Assistant Professor of American Studies Darren Lone Fight discussed the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s troubling legacy and efforts to repatriate the remains of Indigenous children to their tribes in North Dakota. College Archivist Jim Gerencser ’93 is also quoted.

Janine Ludwig, contributing faculty in German and academic director of the Dickinson-in-Germany program, co-edited a 530-page collection exploring Eastern and Western social and cultural movements of the second half of the 20th century, 1968 – East – West – German-German Cultural Stories, co-edited with Carsten Gansel (OKAPI Publisher, 2021). Ludwig also contributed an opinion piece in University World News about how COVID-19 has changed study abroad.

Visiting Professor of International Security Studies Jeff McCausland provided frequent commentary on the military situation in Ukraine to outlets including CBS Radio News, CBS Eye on the World/The John Batchelor Show, KDKA Radio News Pittsburgh and the Leadership Beyond Borders podcast. McCausland also appeared in an article in the Columbia Missourian and was interviewed about the Ukraine-Russia conflict for a story on Inside Edition, which is syndicated in more than 200 markets across the country.

On WPMT-TV FOX43, Associate Professor of Political Science Sarah Niebler discussed why some political candidates choose to skip debates and provided expert commentary on party endorsements in the primary elections.

Professor of History and W. Gibbs McKinney Chair in International Education Karl Qualls discussed the impact of the war in Ukraine with BBC News in an article that was republished around the world in dozens of languages. Qualls also appeared as a guest on the Newstalk Breakfast radio program in Dublin, Ireland. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star published an opinion piece by Qualls titled “Ukraine Buildup: Why It’s Time to Worry, but Not Panic, About Russia.” He was interviewed by the Society for the History of Children and Youth as the “Featured Book” for Stalin’s Niños: Educating Spanish Civil War Refugee Children in the Soviet Union, 1937- 1951. The interview is available on the society’s YouTube channel, and the podcast version is available widely.

Assistant Professor of Francophone Studies & Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and contributing faculty to the Middle Eastern studies program Mireille Rebeiz was selected as a scholar to serve on the advisory board for the Global Institute for Research Education & Scholarship in Amsterdam (Netherlands). GIRES is a multidisciplinary global institute that promotes academic work and research from around the world. Her op-ed “Djokovic Got Served” was published in PennLive.

Assistant Professor of Art History Wei Ren published “Vernacular Painting and Transitional Beijing: Chen Shizeng’s Beijing Fengsu Album, ca. 1915,” in Archives of Asian Art.

The Washington Post published two op-eds by Associate Professor of Philosophy Crispin Sartwell, titled “Escaping the Present Amid Objects From the Past: The Restorative Joy of Antique Malls” and “Experts Disagree, and So Should You.”

In January, the Georgia Center for the Book named Poet-in-Residence and Professor of Creative Writing Adrienne Su’s book Peach State (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2021) to its list of “Books All Georgians Should Read.” The book also was highlighted by ARTS ATL in a recent Q&A with Su.

The Sentinel highlighted professors McCausland and Qualls, along with Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies Andy Wolff, in a story examining the possible next steps of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Administrator Accolades

The Williamsport Sun-Gazette ran an article mentioning Dickinson’s ALLARM Stream Team initiative.

Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Director of Admissions Programs & Services Molly Boegel discussed the digital SAT’s impact on the college admissions process in a report from WHP-TV CBS21.

Vice President for Enrollment & Dean of Admissions Catherine McDonald Davenport ’87 was quoted in Forbes, offering college application tips for 2022.

An article in Lancaster Farming newspaper highlights a study on silvopasture practices by the Dickinson College Farm.

President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, provided expert commentary on the court battle over Pennsylvania’s redistricting plans on WHTM-TV ABC27. Jones also appeared on This Week in Pennsylvania, speaking about the constitutionality of mail-in ballots. Jones’ op-ed “We Are All Americans and Democracy Is Our Shared Faith” was published by PennLive. WHTM-TV, the Patriot-News, the Central Penn Business Journal and the Pottsville Republican-Herald all reported on Jones’ appointment as Dickinson’s 30th president.

Director of West Coast Recruitment Phil Moreno appeared as a live guest on KMAX-TV’s Good Morning Sacramento, discussing how changes to standardized testing are impacting the college admissions process.

Vice President & Dean of Student Life George Stroud discussed on-campus housing in U.S. News & World Report.

Director of Financial Aid Leah Young was quoted in Money magazine’s article “3 Ways College Financial Aid Letters Can Confuse Families—and What to Do About It.” The article also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Nasdaq news and Flipboard.

Kudos as of March 28.

Read more from the spring 2022 issue of Dickinson Magazine.

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Published May 18, 2022