Congratulations to faculty members on 2018-19 sabbaticals
Sabbatical proposals have been approved by the Board of Regents. Sabbaticals are covered in Wisconsin State Statute (Wis. Stat. 36.11(17)), in UW System Policy (UW System Administrative Policy 160) and in the Faculty Handbook (pp. 128-9). Congratulations to the following faculty members who are receiving sabbaticals in 2018-19:
Associate Prof. Francis Akakpo, Social Work, semester 2
Associate Prof. Marcelo Cruz, Public and Environmental Administration, semester 2
Prof. Illene Cupit, Human Development, semester 1
Prof. Kristy Deetz, Art, full year
Prof. Jeff Entwistle, Theatre and Dance, semester 2
Prof. Alison Gates, Art, semester 1
Prof. Regan Gurung, Psychology, full year
Associate Prof. Pao Lor, Education, semester 1
Prof. Sarah Meredith-Livingston, Music, semester 2
Associate Prof. Eric Morgan, Democracy and Justice Studies, full year
Associate Prof. Christine Smith, Human Development, semester 2
Professor Patricia Terry, Natural and Applied Sciences, semester 2
Akakpo’s sabbatical proposal will focus on interdisciplinarity, diversity and inclusivity. The exploratory study includes both secondary research through literature review and primary research in the form of surveys and interviews with prospective study participants. Akakpo’s ultimate goal is to integrate cultural and intercultural social practice competencies in his classroom using a reflective model. This will improve social work students’ skills knowledge to work with clients who have different cultural orientations.
The sabbatical will focus on two activities that will make a substantial contribution to Cruz’s teaching, scholarship and service to the greater Green Bay community. The first activity continues comparative urban research with Spanish scholars, expanding this research to South American cities. The study will compare urban morphologies between various intermediate size cities in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. The second activity stems from the four-year project completed in the Amazonian city of Tena, Ecuador. The project resulted in creating a land-based code model for the region. The proposed project is to prepare maps and write a paper for publication that explains the model, using Tena as a model for policy recommendations in the future planning regarding Amazonian cities in Ecuador.
Grief can place college students at risk of academic, developmental and social difficulties. Cupit’s work in this area involved the creation of an online survey (The College Student Bereavement Survey or CSBS). Based on data collected in 2008 and 2015. she found that almost half of the UW-Green Bay student body had suffered a significant loss in the past 24 months. This sabbatical will extend this research to examine whether school-related problems are experienced by South African and Italian college students as well and to provide helpful information for campus mental health services both in the U.S. and abroad.
Deetz will continue work on Earth Texts, a series of wooden relief sculptures made primarily of natural and recycled materials. “Each piece creates a visual metaphor of the book form while connecting ideas of language to both earth and body to explore our fragile connection with each other and nature.” To gain new inspiration for the series, Deetz will be an artist-in-residence at the Burren College of Art that offers degrees in art and ecology and is located in an Irish national park renowned for its rare species of wild flowers, rolling limestone hills with crisscrossing cracks and rich archeological sites. “The residency will also give me the opportunity to develop new ideas for ecologically focused art assignments, build a model for a possible art and ecology program at UW-Green Bay and establish a study abroad program with the College.”
Entwistle will be working with new advanced lighting technologies at Lighthouse Productions. Since Lighting Design responsibilities were transferred to another faculty position 20 years ago, the University has accumulated new lighting control technologies and more recently more advanced lighting instruments. Entwistle will be working with all of those types of equipment in addition to newer lighting and video technologies. Due to the Lighthouse location, he also will be able to test this equipment in the University Theatre spaces and will be able to give some of the advanced students the opportunity to work with this equipment as well.
The bulk of Gates’ sabbatical will be spent reaching new goals for her studio practice in textiles. “I plan to learn to spin and to explore new options for applying textile traditions, materials, and techniques to the making of relevant contemporary works of art dealing with content ranging from examinations of race to speculations on the effects of climate change on material culture. Additionally, I will use some of my time to conclude one social practice project ongoing since 2012 and to compile data collected from the Midwest Fiber Arts Educators Network to establish Threshold Concepts in Intro Textiles.”
During Gurung’s sabbatical, he plans to write a Research Methods textbook, develop SmartBit (a student learning aid), create a clothing research repository and collaborate with colleagues in Australia and New Zealand. His major area of emphasis across all four projects will be the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). All activities will benefit Gurung’s teaching and his students’ learning as he plans to integrate aids to increase student learning into his textbook and use the repository for a research assistant scholarship.
Lor’s proposed sabbatical includes drafting a historical novel encapsulating his decade-long research on the Hmong American experience, completing an inquiry letter and synopsis that will be sent to potential literary agents and academic presses and starting the process to secure a book contract for the novel. The novel is a “modern-day story about cultural exploitation, ideological oppression and the grit to preserve and advance one’s cultural identity and heritage in an ever-changing, modernized world.” The novel addresses diversity, inclusive excellence and intercultural knowledge and competence.
The focus of Meredith-Livingston’s sabbatical is to establish a foundation for the development of a student/faculty exchange program between UW-Green Bay and the Prague Music Conservatory, Prague, Czech Republic. This will be accomplished through Meredith-Livingston’s invitation to be guest artist weeks at the Prague Conservatory and to teach coursework during the spring semester 2019. She will be teaching singers the International Phonetic Alphabet for Singers, particularly English, French, German and Italian, and will be presenting master classes and lectures on American art song and music theater repertoire. During this time, Meredith-Livingston will also focus on the planning and development of a travel course for UW-Green Bay music and theater students.
Living History: Connecting Students to the Past Through Role-playing Simulation Games and Primary Sources will connect the digital humanities, an innovative pedagogical approach and a scholarly project. Morgan’s sabbatical project has two tangible outcomes: first, to integrate a student-created simulation games assignment into DJS/History 353: The U.S. and the World; and second, to draft a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning article on role-playing simulation games. “As currently constructed, my course is focused around historical role-playing simulation games. I plan to revise the syllabus to have student groups create their own games as a final project, further immersing them in historical and critical thinking.”
Smith proposes to take three courses in web design and development, working toward a certificate in Web Design Fundamentals. This will allow her to develop internet and web-based skills that can be used to enhance her courses as well as her research.
Terry’s first goal for a Spring 2019 sabbatical is to incorporate the skill of air permit application filing into the ET464/ENVSCI646/664: Atmospheric Pollution course to provide students with needed skills to be an economic resource for Wisconsin industries. To achieve this, she will work with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Terry also will work to increase diversity in the Engineering Technology program by enhancing the curriculum with inclusivity pedagogy and contribute to SOTL by assessing these pedagogies. Last, she plans to continue documentation needed for ABET accreditation of the Engineering Technology programs.
