December 2011
The College’s15th annual International Day programming brought more than 300 middle and junior high students from eastern Iowa and western Illinois to Iowa City to educate them about global human rights.
Professor and Dean Margaret Crocco presented the opening lecture for the One Community, One Book project. Crocco’s lecture was based on her experience in developing the Teaching The Levees curriculum, based on Spike Lee’s award-winning film about Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke.
Visiting Professor Erin Wehr directs two Iowa City community bands—the New Horizons band for adults 55 and older and the Lin Street Band for adults of all ages. In addition to providing opportunities for the band members to play music, increase their abilities, and socialize, the bands also provide valuable experiences for university music education students.
Professor Ernest T. Pascarella received the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) 2011 Academic Leadership Award; and the Iowa Center for Assistive Technology Research and Education (ICATER) received nearly $95,000 to create a new virtual assistive technology lab. Other faculty awarded funding totaling approximately $400,000 for their research include: Saba Ali, Cory Forbes, Megan Foley Nicpon, Peter Hlebowitsh, Liz Hollingworth, Ted Neal, Brian Hand, Jim Stachowiak, and Brian An.
For the first time, the Belin-Blank Center’s 6th biennial Advanced Leadership Institute focused on fine arts. Approximately 100 participants from seven states attended the event, which was an opportunity to bring new professionals to campus to participate in timely dialogue about the value of the arts.