.

Applied Social Sciences Department

Rachel Crist, Sarah Boshart, Harrison Horst and Samantha Jacob received honor cords signifying their membership into the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society from Dr. Carolyn Stauffer and Dr. Jenni Holsinger. 91����Ƶ’s new chapter joins 650 other college chapters.

Biology and Chemistry Department

Janaya M. Sachs was named Outstanding Senior Chemistry Student, the highest award given to a chemistry/biochemistry major who demonstrates high academic achievement, significant research experience and the potential to contribute to the field. She will be recognized with other outstanding senior chemistry majors by the Virginia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and was given a Merck Index by the ACS and the Merck Company. Read more about one of�� .

Tyler D. Denlinger and Robert H. Propst earned recognition as the Outstanding Senior Biology students, the highest award to acknowledge exceptional academic, scholarly and service accomplishments throughout a student’s career at 91����Ƶ. The award also recognizes characteristics of initiative, wisdom, diligence, collegiality and integrity.

Kaylee M. Ferguson was given the Outstanding Service Award. Consideration is given to scholarship across the entire 91����Ƶ career, including research outside of the 91����Ƶ context, as well as qualities of leadership, citizenship, compassion, a commitment to working with others and the ability to place their 91����Ƶ experience with the context of service.

Diego C. Barahona earned the Excellence in Research Award for his exceptional performance in independent research, demonstrating initiative, integrity, knowledge of subject and high technical aptitude. Read more about one of his .

Leah C. Lapp was recognized as outstanding first-year chemistry student. Mario J. Hernandez was named outstanding second-year biology student.

Winners of the STEM poster contest, upperclass division are: first, Samantha Kauffman and Marchelle Smucker; second, Eli Wenger; third, Diego Barahona; honorable mention, Tyler Brenneman; Kyle Johnson and David Nester; Aron Harder, Austin Engle, Dylan Grove, James Paetkau, Ben Zook, Andrew Troyer and Collin Longenecker.

Winners of the STEM poster contest, underclass division are: first, Leah Lapp and Melissa Kinkaid; second, Seth Weaver and Jared Bergman; third, Linda Ouedraogo and Caroline Lehman.

Bible and Religion Department

The winners of an essay contest in the field of Bible, theology, church history and philosophy, sponsored by Haverim, the alumni association of Bible and Religion Department, were recognized. Justine Nolt won $300 and first place for her analysis of Eucharistic theology. Christina Hershey won $200 and second place for her treatment of Lancaster Mennonite Conference’s decision to leave Mennonite Church USA.��Janaya Sachs was awarded $100 and third place for her exegesis of 1 Corinthians 5.

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

��The following students were recognized by Executive Director Daryl Byler: Caitlin Morneau, for publication of an article on restorative justice; Kajungu Mturi, for his work with Harrisonburg High School’s Peer Leaders program; Matt Tibbles, for work with youth at Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Boys and Girls Club; Jennifer Chi Lee, for overall leadership to CJP; and Myriam Aziz, Sho Igawa, Christine Kindler, Agnes Chen and Isabel Castillo for their Arts and Peacebuilding film productions.

Education Department

Five students were selected as Teachers of Promise by Don Steiner, interim department chair: Dorothy Hershey, Rebekah Hertzler, Erick Luna, Miranda Lyle and Amy Nussbaum. Teachers of Promise is a statewide honor recognizing gifted pre-service teachers.

Paul Lankford was awarded the Courage to Teach award, which is modeled after the principles of Quaker educator Parker Palmer. “Paul was selected for his dedication and effectiveness in teaching, genuine caring for students, value-based and highly principled behaviors, reflective thought and practice and a passion for teaching,” Steiner said. Lankford was awarded a copy of Palmer’s Courage to Teach book.

History Department

Robert Cook was awarded the Outstanding History Student for his essay on Rockbridge County schools integration. A future social studies educator, he was awarded a copy of A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor.

Language and Literature Department

The following awards were presented by department chair Mike Medley:

• The Ray Elvin Horst Award for Excellence in Spanish: Maddie Gish
• Jay B. Landis Award (Literary essay): Jasmine Miller
• The Ervie L. Glick Award for Excellence in World Language Study: Anna Messer
• James Bomberger Award (TESOL): Jasmine Miller
• Carroll Yoder Award (English teaching): Quinn Kathrineberg
• Omar Eby Award (Creative writing): Kaitlin Abrahams

Mathematical Sciences Department

Junior Aron Harder was the winner of the department’s mathematics contest. Harder also won this contest as a first-year student. His prize was what Professor Owen Byer described as a “math geek” t-shirt. Second place went to first-year Austin Engle.

Seven members of the Engineers for a Sustainable World club won first place in the first- and second-year undergraduate design team division at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Zone 2 Conference early March in Puerto Rico. Ben Zook, Dylan Grove, James Paetkau, Collin Longenecker, Austin Engle, Ben Stutzman and Andrew Troyer were recognized for their work.

Music Department

Jon Bishop was recognized as the Outstanding Senior in Music Composition Award. Jacinda Stahly earned the Outstanding Senior in Music Performance award.

Nursing Department

Professors Audrey Myers and Ann Schaeffer, Nursing Student Association (NSA) sponsors, presented the department’s annual awards.

Nina Simmons was given the Leadership Award, for her work in the NSA to involve all levels of students. She will work after graduation in the intensive care unit at Augusta Health.

Abbie Luther was given the Sacred Covenant Award. The sacred covenant is a model of nursing that honors the relationship between the nurse and the patient. “Nursing has shaped me and continues to shape me into embodying Christ in my everyday life,” said Luther. “One of the biggest reasons I decided to study nursing was because it allowed me to be the hands and feet of Jesus. As my future as a nurse unfolds, my hope is that I stay grounded in this simple truth. Kindness, presence, grace, love and compassion will be my guiding light.”

Leona Good��earned the Academic Achievement Award. “Nursing school has challenged me to step up because I know that my knowledge and education impacts the care I am able to give others. I am driven by the desire to be the best nurse I can be for my patients. As my journey into nursing begins this next year, I am looking forward to how my career will allow me to offer myself and form relationships with people in their most vulnerable times.”

Visual and Communication Arts and Theater Department

Lila Marks received the Matthew Alan Styer VaCA Scholarship Grant for excellence and dedication to photography. “Lila is a passionate and compassionate documentary photographer of human encounters,” said Steven David Johnson, department chair. Johnson added that Marks is an excellent student, receptive to critique and already approaching photography with a critical and professional acumen and interest. She is pursuing a vocation in humanitarian documentary photography.

The cast of earned a Certificate of Merit for Ensemble Acting from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The cast includes Jeremiah Hines, Dylan Peachy, Collin Dutt, Abigail Greaser, Emma Roth, Clara Bush, Robert Weaver and Esther Ajayi.

Greaser and Bush earned nominations for the Irene Ryan Acting Competition. Roth is an alternate.

Ezrionna Prioleau was recognized for her outstanding work in stage management for The 39 Steps and recommended for the KCACTF national competition in stage management.

Academic Success Center and Writing Program

Janaya Sachs was honored as Tutor of the Year. “She has been a chemistry, mathematics, Bible and general-whatever-I-can-help-you-with-I-will-help-you-with tutor,” said Linda Gnagey, director of the Academic Success Center. “We want to thank Janaya for three years of support for many different students at many different academic levels and departments.”

Graduating tutors were also recognized: Kaylee Ferguson (biology), Leona Good (nursing), Jacob Hertzler (computer science), Andre Kalend (biology and history), Lamar Kiser (nursing), Timothy Martin (mathematics) and Sam Miller (biology). Quinn Kathrineberg and Luisa Miller were recognized by Professor Vi Dutcher, director of the Writing Program.

Common Grounds Coffeehouse

“Common Grounds Coffeehouse is routinely blessed to be led by exceptional students who give boundless creative energy and passion to their shared work,” said Rachel Roth Sawatzky, student programs director. She recognized three of the five managers who are seniors: Stephanie Anders, events manager; Maddie Gish, operations manager; and Ryan Thomas, finance manager.

Read more about their contributions .

Student Government Association

The spring 2017 executive council was recognized: Quinn Kathrineberg, president; Mario Valladares, vice president; Keyri Lopez- Godoy, secretary; Rachel Holderman, vice president of marketing; and Tyler Denlinger, treasurer.

Spring 2017 senators are Dera Nwankwo, Nicole Litwiller, Rebecca Cardwell, Val Hernandez, Seth Weaver, John Sanchez, Ali Zuercher, Carlos Garcia, Lamar Kiser, Leah Wenger, Luke Mullet, Caroline Lehman, and Victoria Barnes.

Campus Activities Council

Seniors Ali Hartzler and Jeremiah Robinson were recognized by Mike Yoder, assistant director of student programs and orientation for their commitment and dedication to providing creative and positive entertainment that engages the entire student body. Hartzler has been involved for two years with the tech department and as vice-president this year. Robinson joined CAC this year. Both have been instrumental in planning a variety of events, including the Color Run at Homecoming, the Presidents Ball, and Springfest.

Campus Ministries

Pastoral assistants were recognized: Rachel Breidigan, Maddie List, Grayson Mast, Janaya Sachs, Hannah Shultz, Alexa Weeks and Brittany Williams.

Ministry assistants were recognized: Sarah Regan, Bekah Mongold, Madalynn Payne, Nathaniel Nissley, Cameron White, Alex Wissler, Andrew Troyer, Dylan Grove, Austin Sachs, Jenna Lile, Maia Garber, Seth Weaver, Abigail Shelly, Ariel Barbosa, Justin Odom, Taylor Allen, Clarissa White, Lydia Haggard, Lindsay Acker, Kyra Lehman, Janet Spain, and Joseph Harder.

Residence Life

��Seniors and community assistants Eli Wenger and Becky Barrett were recognized for three years of service. Wenger’s “kind and welcoming” personality was noted as well as his ability to create enthusiastic participants in community.

Barrett “effortlessly gets along with all of her residents,” said Tyler Goss, resident director. “She is driven, organized and not afraid to speak up. She is a strong, grounded and welcoming leader.”

Goss also recognized Matthew Hunsberger, who has been promoted to assistant director of residence life after many years as a residence director.

Athletics

All second-semester athletics award-winners were honored. Their accomplishments can be viewed .

Kennedy teaches creative writing, Renaissance literature and Shakespeare at Mary Baldwin. She has won the Cleveland State University Press Open Competition, the Elixir Press Prize in Poetry, and grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Professor , chair of the Language and Literature Department, says he was first impressed to discover “a scholar at a neighboring institution who had published so much poetry and fiction.”

“My poems ranged in subject from the painfully personal to the distantly narrative, and as I grew older, those autobiographical tendencies waned,” Kennedy wrote for literary blog “.”

Kennedy’s time in the U.K. studying the lives of eighteenth century women was a pivotal experience in her writing career.

“I was particularly interested in women’s spiritual and domestic lives, and this curiosity led me to read the medieval mystics” she says. “All of these women suffered for their beliefs, and I wanted to know how ordinary women might have coped with the great changes in England as it shifted from being a Roman Catholic to a Protestant country.”

This research inspired her to enter the historical fiction field, and in 2013 she published The Altarpiece (Knox Robinson Publishing), the first in a series about a young nun thrust into a hostile political-religious environment under King Henry VIII’s rule.

“Despite the fact that the novel is set in the 16th century,” says Medley, “some of the themes are very contemporary: violence against women, women’s struggle to exercise the full range of their gifts and the universal questioning of faith in the face of disease, violence, betrayal and death.”

“People have to have stories to make sense of their lives,” said Kennedy in a 2013 interview. ��“It’s one of the reasons we crave fiction; we need to shape events in such a way that they conform to our notions of right and wrong, of justice and fairness—and to our notions of the reality of danger and evil.”

NEXT WRITERS READ EVENT: Novelist Ken Yoder Reed will read Feb. 16, 2017,�� at 6:30 p.m. in Common Grounds.

The lecture will highlight her latest scholarly work, (West Virginia Press, 2016) in which she served as editor of the first anthology of Randolph’s autobiographical writings.

Randolph was an African American abolitionist, minister and community leader. Born enslaved on a Virginia plantation, he moved with several freed slaves to Boston, from which he helped the Baptist church become a thriving denomination among African American Protestants. His writings provide an accurate perspective of enslaved life, African American religious customs, and ministerial work.

Admission is free (donations appreciated), with light refreshments and books available for purchase after the event.

English professor says she is delighted Bassard is visiting 91����Ƶ. “Praise for Kathryn Bassard’s scholarship in African American literature as well as for her presentation skills has��made me eager to have her speak at 91����Ƶ for some time. Moreover, her Christian conviction animates her work. I expect her campus presentations��to be both challenging and edifying.”

Bassard will also give a chapel address Friday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m. in Martin Chapel and meet with the Black Student Union.

“As an ordained Baptist minister, Kathy is superbly qualified to challenge us with a message on racial reconciliation,” says Chair . “As an academic with a remarkable record of scholarly publications and now a top administrator at one of the Commonwealth’s largest universities, she is the kind of leader who will inspire and challenge us all.”

Bassard earned her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest, a master’s degree at VCU, and her PhD, along with a graduate certificate in women’s studies, at Rutgers University.

From 1992-1999, Bassard taught at the University of California – Berkeley where she rose to the rank of associate professor. She returned to VCU in 1999 and was appointed professor of English in 2010.

She has received numerous awards and grants, including recognition by the Center for Teaching Excellence, Honor’s College, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, as well as from the Pew and Ford foundations. In 2005, she was the recipient of the VCU’s prestigious Elske V.P. Smith Distinguished Lecturer award.

Recent publications include (Princeton University Press, 1999) and (University of Georgia Press, 2010).

She examines poetry, novels, speeches, sermons, and prayers by African American women from Maria W. Stewart to Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, discussing how such texts respond as a collective “literary witness” to the use of the Bible for purposes of social domination. Bassard spoke about this topic in 2012 as a guest on the radio show “.”

This is the first to be scheduled during , said chair , who anticipates a convivial evening of students, alumni, parents and other members of the campus community sharing a love of poetry together. Johnson will be introduced by Interim President Lee Snyder.

Johnson teaches writing at Wheaton College in Illinois, where she earned first a BA in literature and sociology and then an MA in theological studies. Her MFA in creative writing and poetry is from Spalding University.

Recently, Johnson published her second book of poetry, . This work includes a poem called “Jesus Cleanses a Leper” which was featured on the website in January 2016.

This poem “contains some startling surprises,” Medley says, noting that “Jesus appears as a celebrity attending at a rock concert who stretches out his hand, adorned with an emerald ring, to make a metaphorical leper clean.”

A self-proclaimed “big grammar geek,” Medley says he also enjoys the poem “‘Showing Existence or Condition,’ in which she plays with grammatical terminology and word etymologies.”��The poem begins “To be. Infinitive. / From the Latin infinitas as in / the mind of God, the universe / the space before / and after.”

Her work may be found in The Louisville Review, Minnetonka Review, Strange Horizons and 32 Poems, among others. She is the founder of The Poetry Factory, a reading series in St. Joseph, Michigan.

With over a decade of experience in editorial work at a small press called WordFarm, she also serves as poetry editor of The Cresset.

Johnson’s first collection of poems, The Eyes the Window, was published in 2013. It received strong reviews from critics such as Brad Fruhauff, who describes a “fascinating collection that makes you feel at once a witness to intimate moments and a stranger outside of true intimacy.” It won the 2011 Powder Horn Prize for first books.

A featured writer at the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College in 2014 and at the Indiana Faith and Writing Conference in 2015, Johnson will be a panelist at the upcoming Midwest Conference of Christianity and Literature.

Dop is a professor at Randolph College. He earned his master’s in English from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and an MFA from University of Nebraska. After wide publication in a number of prestigious journals, Dop published his first collection of poems “Father, Child, Water” in spring of 2015 (Red Hen Press).

“An actor as well as a poet, Dop promises to be a very entertaining and effective reader of his poetry,” said Professor , chair of 91����Ƶ’s Language and Literature Department. Medley noted that all first-year students will be in attendance at the event, and for some, this event will be their first poetry reading.

�ٴDZ�’s provides two digital readings of his poetry, which give listeners a glimpse of his sense of humor and thematic choices. “As an English professor, I regularly encounter people who think I’ve read every book ever written,” he explains before reading a poem titled “How to Pretend You’ve Read Moby Dick.” “Pause as though considering the sea…Gaze two inches to the right of their eye, as though you’ve lost something precious in their ear…”

On National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Dop entitled “’B’ or not a ‘B’?” a conglomeration of student-written confusions regarding Shakespeare, his plays and the Elizabethan times.

As a poet who values performance and has won an award for his stand-up comedy, Dop has entertained audiences at university��and community events throughout the country. In 2009, he was one of five poets��to qualify for the top rated performance poetry team in the country.

Before coming to Virginia, Dop served as writer-­in-­residence at North Central University in Minneapolis. He has worked extensively in the Midwest, advocating for creative writing in rural areas and working with gifted high school students in south central Nebraska. He serves on the editorial board of Spark News Press and enjoys working with the Twin Cities organization that publishes the Rain Taxi Review of Books and sponsors the Twin Cities Book Festival in Minneapolis.

Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University, is author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future (or Don’t Trust Anyone under 30).

The controversial claim of the title may have attracted the full house, or it may have been the theme’s popularity in campus and class discussions this year: 91����Ƶ’s Common Read is The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr.

Whatever the reason, the Feb. 5 talk was the most popular Writers Read event in recent history, according to , chair of the who invited Bauerlein to campus.

Attendees ranged from undergrads to 91����Ƶ and James Madison University faculty to community members, and the post-lecture discussion, in which Bauerlein fielded questions from among the diverse audience, was brought to a close, Medley said, in the midst of continued debate.

Bauerlein painted a world where young people today are sucked into time-consuming superficial social interactions with members of their peer group – mediated by text messenging, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other digital forms of communicating – rather than with older people who can provide more thoughtful interactions and deepen them intellectually.

As additional fodder for thought, Bauerlein pointed to the proliferation of teen-centered TV shows, rather than ones centering on adult interactions, as he recalled seeing during his youthful era in the 1960s.

He cited statistics of young people exchanging 3,500 text messages per month and accessing nine hours of media per day. Given that they only have six hours of leisure time daily, they are obviously accessing more than one form of media simultaneously, he said.

This led Bauerlein to ponder the importance of maintaining the study of the humanities in colleges and universities, guided by teachers who “lead students into a more educated, deeper experience” of objects truly worthy of their thoughtful, focused attention. Those objects may be works of art or music or literature, but all require quiet time to digest, time that today’s young people often don’t have and wouldn’t know what to do with, he said.

Young peoples’ habits of speedy consumption of information in a shallow manner “is a deep threat to the humanities,” he said.

He objected to multi-tasking when studying a subject: “The attention has to be complete; you have to clear out all other distractions.” If young people would learn to quietly focus, he said, they will flourish as human beings.

, associate dean of students/director of housing and residence life, and , associate professor of , gave prepared responses to Bauerlein’s talk, offering additional examples from their personal and work contexts of the validity of his observations.

James Ward, a professor of religion at James Madison University who has also taught at 91����Ƶ, commented during the question-and answer-period that his students spend so much time staring without expression into their devices that he feels they have developed a blank facial affect when he searches their faces for responses to the material he has presented in class.

Several members of the audience questioned some aspects of Bauerlein’s talk. One, who identified herself as a writing teacher, pointed out that immersion in digital gaming for hours can be highly thought-provocative, necessitating creative responses to other gamers. Another, who looked to be from a generation or two older than Bauerlein’s, questioned whether the “good old days” of young people watching TV shows like the Lone Ranger and Howdy Doody were any better than what youths watch today.

Chances are those words elicited some kind of emotion.

If you’re under 30, you may have just looked up or away from your digital device and rolled your eyes.

If you’re over 30, your facial expression might be an unbidden, but half-amused grimace accompanied by a bit of nodding.

If you’d like to hear and engage with the author in person, whether to take issue with his stance, and/or to soak up the intellectual discourse of one of the eminent thinkers of the day, you’re in luck.

Author Mark Bauerlein, an English professor at Emory University, will speak at 91����Ƶ Thursday, Feb. 5, on “The Humanities in the Digital Age.” Bauerlein’s talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Strite Conference Room in the Campus Center, followed by a discussion with the audience, including formal responses by , professor of , and , director of residence life.

Bauerlein will also speak at Friday’s 10 a.m. chapel in Lehman Auditorium on “From Atheism to Catholocism.” A talk-back with refreshments follows in Common Grounds from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Bauerlein has taught at Emory University since 1989, with a break in 2003-05 to serve as the��Director of the Office of Research and Analysis, at the National Endowment for the Arts. He has published numerous scholarly works, including an acclaimed account of a 1906 race riot in Atlanta, Negrophobia. In addition, his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, Times Literary Supplement, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, where his blog eloquently promotes the humanities.

For a preview of his visit– and to develop a sense of Bauerlein’s wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation with and among great texts as an enlivened source of consolation, wisdom and revelation – read ,” published in the magazine First Things (in one sentence, he quotes Sartre, Faulkner and Nietzche, in that order).

That essay, and Bauerlein’s unique perspective about the relevance of the humanities in the digital age are reasons why , professor of , is pleased to welcome him to campus. Both Bauerlein’s book and academic studies are closely linked to this year’s campus Common Read selection, Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.

At a time when study of the humanities are under attack, Bauerlein is an ally of the many professors on college campuses who “are eager to give students exposure to great texts, images, sounds and ideas,” says Medley, who notes that it’s not the digital devices themselves that are the problem, but the time-consuming and intense nature of the peer-to-peer relationships they enable. “If we can lure them away from their addicting digital devices, we think we can get them hooked.”

Bauerlein’s lecture is the fourth event in a year-long exploration of the effects of the digital age on education. He joins two other scholars, both from University of Virginia, who have lectured on this theme: Siva Vaidhyanathan, professor of media studies and author of “The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry), and Dan Willingham, professor of psychology and author of “When Can You Trust the Experts? How to Tell Good Science from Bad In Education.”

The signing occurred during a one-day visit to the 91����Ƶ campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia, by President Meng Zhaohuai of Sichuan University, accompanied by five other administrators. “It was cold and rainy when we arrived, but now it is sunny,” said Meng through an interpreter at a luncheon for the delegation. “That is a sign of our friendship.”

met with the delegation, signed the agreement and hosted the luncheon, along with two vice-presidents and other university leaders. ( was not present due to previous commitments in other states.)

The two universities do not overtly resemble each other. Sichuan is a public university of 11,000 students in Dazhou, a city of 800,000. 91����Ƶ is a private church-rooted school of 1,800 in Harrisonburg, Va., with a population of 50,000. But the leaders of both institutions emphasized their mutual interest in cultural exchange.

The two schools have been interacting for 16 years through Mennonite Partners in China, which places English teachers at Sichuan University of Arts and Science and many other schools. In turn, Sichuan sends visiting scholars to 91����Ƶ. (A current visiting scholar, Gu Juan, acted as the interpreter for the delegation during the 91����Ƶ visit.) A cross-cultural group from 91����Ƶ will spend some time there later this year.

, formerly known as China Educational Exchange, is sponsored by four international Mennonite organizations. It is headed by Myrrl Byler, who accompanied the Sichuan delegation on its three-day visit to the United States.

Sichuan promotes international interaction by, among other things, forging exchange agreements with universities in six countries. 91����Ƶ’s biggest international program is the requirement that all undergraduate students participate in a cross-cultural experience. Most students do a study-service tour in another country before graduation.

“Sichuan University of Arts and Science is the kind of school we like to relate to,” said Byler. “It is in a more rural area of China and needs help connecting with the outside world.”

While at 91����Ƶ, the Sichuan delegation visited three academic departments – hosted by professor , hosted by director , and hosted by two students who had been in China on an .

“This program is a mixture of the traditional arts and newer media,” said senior Emma King.

The Chinese delegation and their translator and their American hosts then began discussing the use of “newer media” and “digital media” and “social media” and several Chinese phrases. The terminology in communication, media and computer technology keep changing, they agreed, in both English and Chinese.

In addition to President Meng, the Sichuan University representatives were:
• Deng Jie, director of educational administration
• Yu Wengsheng, director of international exchange and cooperation
• Du Songbai, dean, College of Literature and Journalism
• Feng Jin, professor, College of Culture and Communication
• Li Xuemei, dean, College of Foreign Languages

Bolgiano will read and comment on her work Nov. 6 at a event in the at 91����Ƶ. The talk, which is free for the 91����Ƶ community, begins at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome, and donations are requested. Light refreshments will be available.

Bolgiano writes on her that after retiring from James Madison University, she “muddled into a so-called writing career,” yet her second career has earned many accolades.

“Like many good writers, Chris Bolgiano is fully committed to her subject, which is the protection and sustenance of Appalachian forests,” said , chair of the at 91����Ƶ. “More than many writers, however, her prose radiates a passion that compels its readers to embrace the same cause.��Her books should be required reading for anyone living within a day’s driving distance of the 13 million or more acres of ecologically rich national and state forests that grace the eastern United States.”

Bolgiano’s most recent book is (2011).

Prior to this, Bolgiano published five books. Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology (2007) won the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award, Silver, for Best Regional Non-Fiction. In addition, Living in the Appalachian Forest: True Tales of Sustainable Forestry (2002) was awarded the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment and the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association’s Excellence in Craft Contest.

She has also written nature and travel articles for The New York Times, Washington Post, American Forests, Sierra, Audubon, and many other publications, including the 50th anniversary history of her hometown Ruritan Club.

“We are fortunate to have Chris as a writer and advocate in this region, and are excited to have her come share with the 91����Ƶ community,” said , professor in 91����Ƶ’s . “Her local knowledge conveys a sense of wonder for the beautiful Appalachian forests, and her passion for the local environment inspires those who hear her speak, and who read her books.��Chris demonstrates that intense love for place that comes from intimately knowing your local environment, and encourages us to strive for the same.”

Mighty Giants and Southern Appalachian Celebration are available through Nov. 10 in the language and literature department office at Roselawn. Copies will also be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Both texts, widely used in first-year writing courses in American universities, are written by Andrea Lunsford, a Stanford University professor recognized as one of the founders of the modern discipline of composition studies.

A first-year student deep into her spring semester studies, Bell says she was “shocked” to learn that her essay had been selected for the next edition of the handbook. “I had almost forgotten that my paper was even given to the publisher and I didn’t think it would be selected,” the nursing major said. “I am honored that something I wrote and spent so much time on will be published.”

Bell’s accomplishment is “a huge recognition,” both for her personally and for the 91����Ƶ writing program, says chair . “Martha’s paper shows how our writing program encourages first-year students to begin thinking about their vocation and engaging in research related to their college majors.”

The quality of the student paper also reflects the first-year writing program’s cohesive focus, developed by rhetoric and composition specialist , as well as the collaborative instructional efforts of faculty and reference librarian , Medley said. Small classes, capped at 16 students, also create opportunities for individual attention and feedback, he added.

“College Writing for Transitions” is a required course for all majors that develops critical skills in writing, reading, research and analysis. For their culminating research paper, students are encouraged to explore a topic related to their future career.

The pre-professional focus is one particularly appreciated by Carolyn Lengel, Bedford/St. Martin’s executive editor for English, who worked with Lunsford to select the essay.

The nursing field was not represented in previous editions of the book or in digital resources, Lengel said. “So many students planning to enter such professions aren’t aware of how important writing will continue to be in their lives and careers.”

Improvement to textbook suggested by 91����Ƶ faculty

The impetus for this new student example came from 91����Ƶ faculty concerns regarding the handbook’s current model for APA documentation, Lengel said. The current model is a literature review that summarizes, rather than quotes, sources. Following correct APA style for summarization, no page numbers are cited.

“The 91����Ƶ faculty requested that a future student APA model in The Everyday Writer include quotations as well as summaries,” Lengel said. “When I told Vi Dutcher that I’d be interested in sample student writing that her faculty considered exemplary, the 91����Ƶ faculty responded with a student writing contest.”

The contest was open to all 160 students enrolled in “College Writing for Transitions” last fall. Bell, a student of , won first place. Though the first- and second-place winners were forwarded to the publisher, there was no guarantee they would be selected to replace the current student model.

“Martha’s paper is an exemplary model of APA style and formatting,” Lengel said, adding that she was “surprised and delighted” by the contest and pleased with its positive results.

The current edition of The Everyday Writer includes 22 pieces of student writing “from social-media writing and PowerPoint slides to memos, cover letters, and researched writing in various disciplines and in four documentation styles,” Lengel said. “We don’t change the work in every edition, and I hope we’ll be able to use Martha Bell’s piece for some time to come!”

Bell is a 2013 graduate of in Harrisonburg, Va., which also emphasizes developing student writing skills.

An 91����Ƶ and a James Madison University professor will offer their views on Pakistan-US relations after the elections in a presentation, "A Million Cups of Tea," to be held 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 19, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at 91����Ƶ.

Dr. Mike Medley, director of the Intensive English Program (IEP) at 91����Ƶ, and Dr. Ehsan Ahmed, chair of the economics department at JMU, will present "outsider" and "insider" views, respectively, based on their personal experiences in Pakistan.

Dr. Ehsan Ahmed, chair of the economics department at JMU

A general election was held in Pakistan on Feb. 18 after being postponed from Jan. 8, the original date to elect members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the lower house of the Majlis-e-Shoora (the nation’s parliament.

Pakistan’s two main opposition parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) won the majority of seats in the election, although the Pakistan Muslim League actually was second in the popular vote. The PPP and PML are expected to form the new government.

Medley was a Presbyterian missionary in Pakistan for 11 years before joining the 91����Ƶ faculty. Last spring he was a visiting faculty member in the English departement at Forman Christian College there. Dr. Ahmed is a leader in the local Islamic Center and president of the Shenandoah Valley Pak-American Society.

Refreshments will be served. Admission is free.